Hyuuga Secret Arts
by Nate Grey
Summary: Companion to White Dog Night.  Neji and Hanabi form a bond through secret training sessions, and they will need it to face the consequences of Hinata's last act as a Hyuuga.
1. The Art of Scratching Backs

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, not me. Why would I want to own a boy with a demon fox inside of him? I've got enough problems as it is.

Notes: My second Naruto fanfic (well, third in the order I started writing them, but second completed)! If Hanabi seems out of character, frankly, I'd be shocked you could tell, because I can find nothing BUT vague descriptions and contrasting portrayals of her to begin with. As for Neji, I'm still getting to know him (and maybe you can help with that by reviewing?).

"Hyuuga Secret Arts" will be devoted to Neji and Hanabi, and how the events in "White Dog Night" (yes, there will be more) change their relationship (you'll have to read that to find out what happens to Hinata). I'm trying to set it up so that each chapter here corresponds with the chapter of the same number there. You don't HAVE to go back and forth, but it might give you a better sense of what's happening when that way.

Series Summary: Hanabi turns to Neji for training, and eventually, unknowingly, companionship.

Chapter Summary: Hanabi makes Neji an offer he probably shouldn't refuse.

**Hyuuga Secret Arts**

**(Companion to "White Dog Night")**

**Part 1: The Art of Scratching Backs**

**A Naruto Ficlet by**

**Nate Grey (XMAN0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

Hyuuga Hanabi was in his bed.

There were a million things wrong with that, and in most of the best-case scenarios, Neji would be dead by nightfall. It didn't matter that he had no memory of ever even being close to Hanabi, much less touching her, or that he saw her even less then he did Hinata. All that mattered was that nothing good could come of this.

Hanabi didn't seem at all worried. She actually looked very calm, sitting there with her hands resting in her lap, staring down at his perfectly still form expectantly.

Neji took this as a cue that he should stop pretending to be asleep. He didn't know her that well, but if her name was any indicator, he didn't want her to explode because she ran out of patience with him, or for any other reason. Certainly he knew better than to just brush her off. Hinata may not have been willing to use her limited but significant power over him, but Hanabi was not quite so innocent. He'd seen her practicing the hand signs that would activate the Cursed Seal years ago, and it had since made him tread very carefully around her.

"Neji-oniisan. You're not fooling anyone. I know you're awake."

He dared to open his eyes fully. Hanabi was still staring down at him, but now leaning over him slightly, so that her long, dark hair was just barely brushing his face. She didn't seem angry at having had to wait on him to 'wake up,' however. That was a relief, albeit a very small one, considering.

"Is there something I can do for you, Hanabi-sama?" he asked warily. In truth, he was mostly offering so she would leave quickly.

She nodded slightly. "There is."

It became apparent to Neji that only one of them found this current situation awkward. Still, it was his room, his bed, and his discomfort, so more than likely, he would have to be the one to say something.

"It doesn't involve us being in my bed together, does it?"

Something Neji couldn't identify flickered across her face, but it was replaced all too quickly by her neutral expression. "Do I make you uncomfortable, Neji-oniisan?"

That was a loaded question if he'd ever heard one. He was very careful in his answer. "More the situation than anything else. It would not be appropriate for us to be found this way, Hanabi-sama. Surely you know that."

"I do," she agreed. "Though, I don't care."

Her words only made him feel more uncomfortable. "I doubt I would be in any condition to fulfill your request after I had been punished for such an offense," he reminded her.

Hanabi actually scowled, just before she looked away. "You are correct, of course."

While she was distracted, Neji sat up and quickly got out of the bed, dressing as fast he dared without drawing too much of her attention. He wasn't sure what he would do if she told him to stop. If he didn't, she could activate his Cursed Seal, and if they were found, it would be her more valued word against his. All she really had to do was tear her clothing a bit. She never seemed to wear anything more than flimsy shifts and sandals, anyway. He had assumed this was either for easy movement, or a sign that she had resigned herself to her fate as the younger sister of the Hyuuga heir.

Hanabi waited until he was done dressing before she spoke again. "I want you to train me."

He slowly turned to face her, certain that he'd heard wrong. "Is that all?" he asked after a moment.

She seemed insulted by the disbelief in his tone. "You say that like it's nothing. If otou-sama knew-"

"I know," Neji interrupted. "He'd be furious. So why are you asking me to do it?"

"I've told you. I don't care what anyone thinks."

He shook his head. "Why do you want me train you? There are others who could teach you better than I could."

Hanabi's eyes flickered, and Neji knew he'd just made the mistake of lighting her fuse.

"I am not interested in learning what someone else could teach me," she answered, her soft voice somehow like steel in that moment. "I am only interested in what you could teach me, Neji-oniisan. That is why I am asking you, and only you."

That was high praise, coming from Hanabi, and he would probably never hear it from her again. But Neji was curious now. He wanted more information. Hanabi was definitely up to something in requesting his help, and he had a very good idea of what that might be. There was one way to find out for sure.

"She is nowhere near as qualified, but I imagine Hinata-sama would be more than happy to help you," Neji ventured, watching the girl's face carefully.

Hanabi's expression did not change at all as she spoke. "One does not seek aid in the arms of an opponent."

He shook his head, almost sadly. "She is your sister."

"The same way your father and mine were brothers, you mean?"

It was a low blow, and Neji had to turn away to keep from losing his temper. As it was, he had to bite down on his bottom lip to stop himself from saying anything that Hanabi might feel the need to punish.

"So you do understand that blood does not always equal loyalty," Hanabi said. "I trust we will have no further complications, then."

"So that's it," Neji muttered angrily. "You want me to train you to defeat Hinata-sama?"

"Of course not," she replied at once. "I will do that on my own. But it is not enough to defeat just her. I want to be formidable. Feared. Respected." She paused. "I want to be... what you would've been, had your father been in the main house instead of my own."

"And why would I help you claim what you say should've been mine?" he asked bitterly.

"Because when I am heir of the Hyuuga Clan," Hanabi said quietly, staring directly up at him, "I will remember you."

She meant it. That was what really surprised him. He could tell that she meant every word. Hanabi meant to remove Hinata from the picture, either by defeating her or worse. It was an endless cycle, and no matter what, the backstabbing would continue between Hyuuga siblings, so long as there were two inevitable fates in store for them.

Hanabi apparently took his silence for consideration. "I could give you anything that was in my power to deliver, Neji-oniisan. Perhaps even a few things that were not."

"And if I refuse to train you?" Neji asked suddenly.

Hanabi's face instantly hardened. "Then I would remember that instead," she replied coolly.

It was a threat, plain and simple. No, more like a guarantee that if he didn't help her now, she would destroy him later. Really, it wasn't such a big thing. He was always looking for an excuse to train more, and there was no doubt in his mind that Hanabi would be an excellent study. Such determination almost always transferred over into fast learning, especially when aided by the Byakugan.

"How do I know I can trust you, Hanabi-sama?"

"I will make an oath in blood, if you wish."

He smirked. "Even those can be broken."

Hanabi merely stared at him, as if he'd said something incredibly stupid. "I do not needlessly spill my own blood, Neji-oniisan. Nor will I betray it. Oneesan and I may be of the same blood, but she is not of _my_ blood."

Neji couldn't deny that he was concerned now. He had heard of such hatred within a clan only once, and even that story was shrouded in rumors and shadows. The proof did not lie, however: there was only one Uchiha left in Konoha, and if Neji's instincts were right, he was now looking at a future ANBU captain, and the true heir of the Hyuuga Clan.

And this could very well be his only chance to win her favor, for as long as it lasted.

"We will not speak of this again," he said at last. "I will meet with you twice a week. No more, no less. You will challenge no one that outranks you without my permission."

Hanabi said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

"If you ever activate my Cursed Seal, our training ends."

"I will abide by your terms," Hanabi replied simply. "But if we are discovered, I will attack you without warning."

Neji didn't have to question her logic. If they were found out, it was the only way he wouldn't be punished. His shame at being overpowered by her would be seen as a very fitting punishment in itself. That Hanabi apparently attacking him unprovoked would merit her no real shame was a given.

"So. We have an agreement," Hanabi announced as she leapt lightly to the floor.

"It would seem so," Neji agreed, watching her carefully.

Hanabi moved to the door, pausing long enough to look over her shoulder at him. "I will remember this, Neji-oniisan." And then she was gone.

He instantly questioned the wisdom of what he had agreed to. He could always hold back, and not teach Hanabi everything he knew. But how long before she learned that, as well? How long before she was able to defeat him, too? How long before he was no longer valuable to her?

He would have to learn more. Much more. More than Hanabi would ever have time to learn on her own. So long as he had some knowledge that she needed, she would not dare betray him. And so what if he was only shaping her into an even more efficient killer? All that mattered was that he knew at least a few things that she didn't. That precious knowledge would keep him alive, for a time. If it ever ran out... well, they would find out once and for all who really deserved to be the heir. The title may not have been available to him officially, but it was in the eyes of his peers, the elders, even Hanabi's own father, at times. They knew who brought the greatest honor to the Hyuuga Clan. Hanabi knew it as well. It was why she had chosen him in the first place.

Neji went through a mental checklist as he left his room. He had a light schedule today, and that night would be perfect for his first training session with Hanabi. He would have to come up with a way of signaling her on the nights he was available, and it would be best to keep rotating them, so as to avoid regularity. Perhaps a kunai slipped under her door, or tiny notches in his doorframe. Hanabi was unusual in that she frequently barged in on members of the branch family for no particular reason, so no one would think it odd if she were seen passing by his room. He'd always found that habit of hers annoying and a bit worrisome, but now it would actually aid their cause. Maybe she had been planning this even then? If she had, he would really have to work to stay several steps ahead of her sharp mind.

For Hyuuga Neji was many things, but he was not, nor did he ever intend to be again, a victim. If making his cousin into a living weapon was the only way to keep her from being the knife in his back, so be it. He would rather have his back scratched than stabbed any day.

**End of Part 1.**

* * *

Endnotes:

Again, characterization comments most appreciated. I'm especially curious about the honorifics Hanabi and Hinata typically would use to address each other, and how Neji addresses Hanabi. I get why Neji would say "Hinata-sama," but would the same apply to Hanabi, or any other member of the main house (that seems odd to me, calling everyone –sama when they should technically be few and far between, but then I don't have a Cursed Seal on my head), or just Hinata because she's supposedly the heir? As for the sisters, I think Hanabi might resent Hinata for a number of reasons, so I just use the standard "oneesan" there.

And just for future reference: I'm not sure what the official setup is, but for the sake of convenience, I'm assuming that the main house and branch house of the Hyuuga Clan not only refers to two parts of the family, but to two physical houses as well. Now I suspect there's more than just two buildings on the Hyuuga land, but it wouldn't surprise me to learn certain parts of the land were for main house members only. There has to be somewhere like that, if certain secrets have been restricted to the main house (the Cursed Seal jutsu, for example). Speaking of which, there's a chance Neji wouldn't recognize the Cursed Seal hand signs even if he saw them. But if the boy really is a genius like they say, I think he'd put two and two together eventually.


	2. The Art of Emptiness

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. And if he did, I would feed him cough drops round the clock. Training under a frog hermit is no excuse for having a frog stuck in your throat.

Notes: I wanted to at least touch on one of these elusive training sessions, just to give an idea of Hanabi's potential, and how Neji doesn't quite know how to handle it (wouldn't be any fun if the genius knew everything). Hanabi and Neji will have roles in "White Dog Night," though for the most part their bond will only be apparent here.

Summary: Neji stumbles upon a hidden technique of Hanabi's that leaves him a bit unsettled.

**Hyuuga Secret Arts**

**(Companion to "White Dog Night")**

**Part 2: The Art of Emptiness**

**A Naruto Ficlet by**

**Nate Grey (XMAN0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

Something wasn't quite right.

Well, that was wrong. It was right, but didn't feel right, exactly.

Neji had been aware of this "problem" all along, but it had become more pronounced as the techniques had gotten more and more reliant on Hanabi being able to mimic his motions precisely.

She wasn't, though, and Neji wasn't quite sure why that was. It couldn't be a lack of ability, as Hanabi had had little to no problems in that area. And, again, it wasn't that she was performing the motions wrong, exactly. She just wasn't executing them the way that Neji was, and so while it seemed... off to him, he was hesitant to call her on it, since she probably wasn't even aware of it, and it might not have been anything that she could change so early in their training.

But another problem arose when Hanabi noticed the troubled look on his face, and instantly stopped practicing the moves he'd shown her. She was proving to be far too observant, and tended to have a one-track mind whenever something captured her attention.

"What am I doing wrong, Neji-oniisan?" she asked abruptly.

"You're not, Hanabi-sama," Neji replied at once. "That is to say, I recognize what you're doing as what I taught you, and yet..."

"It's different," Hanabi supplied.

He blinked in surprise. "Yes. You knew?"

"I suspected this might happen, eventually. But I don't know if it's something that should be corrected."

"Neither do I," he admitted. "It may just be that because I've never watched you this closely before, I didn't recognize this as your personal style. Have you always moved this way?"

"In what way, exactly?" Hanabi asked, sounding curious.

That was a difficult question to answer, and not just because he didn't want to seem insulting. Neji had always moved efficiently, never wasting any energy where he could help it. Hanabi's motions seemed more concerned with a kind of subtle grace, at least, on the surface. But there was something else beneath that, something he couldn't quite figure out. And if she wasn't doing it on purpose, he doubted she could explain it to him.

"It's hard to put into words, but I do have an idea as to how to better explain it." Neji nodded, mostly to himself. "I'll need you to attack me."

Hanabi obediently moved a few feet away, falling automatically into a Gentle Fist taijutsu stance, though she instantly lowered it when Neji didn't do the same. "You're just standing there," she observed softly.

"I'm aware."

A marked frown appeared on Hanabi's face. "But if you're not even defending..."

"The point this time around is to learn, not defend."

"But I could-"

"We both know very well what you could do to me," Neji replied patiently. "I'm willing to take that risk in order to better understand exactly what it is I'm seeing."

"But, Neji-oniisan, you-"

He shook his head, not sure how to feel about the obvious emotion he had never before heard in her voice. "Please, just do it. Don't concern yourself with what might happen to me. You should be more concerned with what might happen to you if we don't address the issue early on."

Hanabi resumed her stance, but the unease she was feeling didn't leave her expression.

That was no good. If Hanabi wasn't focused as she had been before, her movements wouldn't be the same. With a sigh, Neji took up a similar stance, knowing it was the only way to bring out the unusual motions he was looking for. He was only planning to use a very weak and basic defense at best, though, because he really did need for Hanabi's attack to be successful.

"Any preferences?" Hanabi asked, her voice sounding much more confident now.

"I think Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms would work best for our current purposes."

Hanabi gave no sign that she agreed or disagreed as she ran towards him, her face frozen in an intense stare. They had of course been using the Byakugan non-stop, and that was at Neji's insistence that one would never put away a weapon until the battle (or in this case, the training) was done. By now Hanabi had no doubt memorized the locations of his chakra coils, and could probably target them even without the Byakugan, but he didn't want to deal with the arrogance that might result from such praise. At present, Hanabi was confident in her abilities, but aware of and eager to learn the many things she didn't yet know.

Neji figured that he only needed to allow a little more than half of the sixty-four hits to land for a thorough observation, though if he let too many connect in an uninterrupted stream, Hanabi would surely notice and break off the attack. He had to block often enough that she didn't get too suspicious of his motives.

Had he known of the power dwelling in Hanabi's fingertips beforehand, he would've blocked every strike.

He merely avoided the first two attacks with quick footwork, and turned away the next two with his forearms. Then he allowed Hanabi to slip beneath his guard and deliver the first of the next four.

That proved to be a grave mistake.

Of course, Neji had experienced the attack before. In fact, he had even built up some resistance to it, having no doubt that he would do battle with another Gentle Fist taijutsu user at some point in his life.

This was entirely different, and no amount of training could've prepared Neji for what he felt when Hanabi's first blow connected.

It was as if everything had gone blank: his mind, his body, his entire being. Everything that composed Hyuuga Neji slowed to a stop, and then faded into nothingness. There was no pain, no fear, and no chance of escape. There was only complete and overwhelming darkness, and it swallowed him up before he could even think to scream.

* * *

Hanabi was shaking Neji hard when he finally regained consciousness. She instantly backed away, as if her very touch might harm him again.

"I told you to defend," she muttered uncomfortably, looking away. "You shouldn't have just let me hit you like that. I landed twenty hits before I realized you were unconscious."

Neji blinked several times before slowly pushing himself to sit up on the floor. Most of his body still felt numb, though the parts that weren't just felt strangely cold. He carefully touched the spot on his chest where she'd first struck him, and shuddered when the coldness instantly began to spread there. He looked over to find that Hanabi was staring at him as if she expected him to die any moment.

"Did you find out what you wanted to know, at least?" she asked.

"No," Neji replied quietly. "Nothing I wanted to know." He couldn't help staring at her with a newfound sense of awe.

Hanabi avoided his eyes again, shifting her weight anxiously. "Does it hurt?" she whispered.

"No. No, it definitely doesn't hurt. Pain, I could've handled. This was... entirely different." He paused, and something clicked in his mind. "That's why you move that way. To keep it inside."

She nodded. "I accidentally used it on otou-sama once. He wouldn't let me out of my room for a week. After that, he wouldn't let anyone else train with me. He taught me how contain the power. I don't think I'm the first Hyuuga to have it."

"Why show me?" Neji asked.

Hanabi blinked slowly, as if she couldn't believe he'd just asked that. "You noticed it, even when I kept it in. I saw no reason to hide it from you any longer. You are my sensei now, Neji-oniisan. You should know such things, should you not?"

Not for the first time, Neji wondered just what he'd gotten himself into when he'd agreed to train his youngest cousin.

"We are done for tonight?" Hanabi suggested, noticing he still hadn't gotten up.

He managed a small nod, but she stayed right where she was.

"Do you want help?" she asked, gesturing at his legs.

Neji shook his head automatically, even though the cold sensation prevented him from moving his legs more than a few inches.

"Do you need help, then?" Hanabi offered again.

He almost refused again, but the look on Hanabi's face stopped him. She almost seemed to be silently pleading with him to accept her help. Perhaps she was just feeling guilty, but they both knew she would not offer a third time.

"Yes," he admitted at last, and she quickly moved forward to help him stand.

"You don't have to worry," she added, keeping him steady with an arm around his waist as they moved to the door. "Now it only comes out when I want it to."

"And how do you do that? What is it that activates this... power?"

"Nothing," Hanabi replied at once.

Neji stared at her, waiting for an explanation.

"It's what I think of when I use it," she continued. "Whenever my mind is blank, that's what I see and feel: nothing. Only darkness. It becomes my weapon, you might say."

"It is... a formidable technique, and one you were wise to hide," he remarked. "I do not believe it will prove problematic for our training, either."

"Except that you will require plenty of rest tomorrow," Hanabi added. "I assume you will spend the day in bed."

Neji frowned at her. "And why," he said slowly, "would I do something like that?"

"Because if you do not spend the day in bed," Hanabi replied calmly, "I will know about it. And I will see to it that you end up spending a week in bed, instead of a day."

It had been some time since Hanabi had last threatened him, and Neji wasn't sure how to feel about that. Lately, she had been less and less demanding, and he had assumed that she was just becoming more relaxed in her role as his student. Of course, the fact that she was a quick learner made their progress swift and easy, so he hadn't needed to correct her more than a few times. Even though, according to the terms of their contract, she could no longer wave the threat of the Cursed Seal over his head, this new technique was disturbing enough that Neji was in no hurry to experience it again.

That didn't mean he had to go along with her wishes quietly, though.

"That's twice today I've sensed concern in your tone, Hanabi-sama. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were starting to grow fond of me."

This brought Hanabi to an abrupt halt.

"You are wrong, Neji-oniisan," she said quietly, yet loud enough that he could not miss her words. "You are a tool, one of many means to a certain end in my life. When I determine you are no longer useful to me, I will push you aside until you can again serve my purposes."

"Then I will await the day when you have need of me again, Hanabi-sama," he replied with a smirk.

She said nothing as they continued walking, but Neji was amused all the same. He had expected Hanabi to say something like she had, although he'd assumed she would simply toss him away and never look back. The idea that she intended to keep him around now, however... it was probably an improvement.

And perhaps Hanabi was no longer quite as empty as she seemed to think.

**End of Part 2.**

* * *

Endnotes:

Hanabi's 'empty technique' isn't canon, and consequently it's a bit hard to classify. As she implied, it should be viewed largely as a bloodline limit, though nowhere near as common in the Hyuuga Clan as the Byakugan. The technique affects opponents much like genjutsu would, but as physical contact is required, works best when coupled with taijutsu. Instead of channeling chakra into her opponent (as one normally would with Gentle Fist), Hanabi transmits emotion, which in this case manifests itself as overpowering darkness in the opponent's mind. Hanabi believes that she's using a lack of emotion in the attack, but she's actually drawing on a very powerful emotion for her, albeit a negative one which can be mistaken for the former. Currently, there is no actual pain involved, just blacking out for a period, and prolonged feelings of numbness and cold upon waking up.


	3. The Art of Covering ShameSilence

Disclaimer: If you're gullible enough to believe I own Naruto, I know of some timeshares in Florida you might go for, too. But never mind, I don't own either, anyway.

Note: This chapter seemed way too short, for some reason. Plus there was another scene I wanted to work in, but that took on a life of its own, and I had already set it aside as a wholly separate part when I wrote this. And I didn't want to throw off the chapters here corresponding to White Dog Night. So after part 3's endnotes, scroll down just a bit and you'll find another story, just for you!

Summary: Hanabi graduates from the Konoha Academy, but it won't mean anything to her unless Neji approves.

**Hyuuga Secret Arts**

**(Companion to "White Dog Night")**

**Part 3: The Art of Covering Shame**

**A Naruto Ficlet by**

**Nate Grey (XMAN0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

Hyuuga Neji threw another curious glance at the Konoha Academy as he leaned against the tree, trying to remember if his exam had taken this long. Unfortunately, he could only recall that it had been fast and easy for him, and not so much for his envious classmates. The exam had been particularly difficult for his teammate Rock Lee, as the boy depended so heavily on taijutsu. Tenten had had an easier time, but she'd been jealous of Neji as well, and that was good, he now knew. It had urged them to work harder, in order to keep up with, and one day, surpass him. They were now solid, well-rounded genin, and he was proud (most of the time, in Lee's case) to call them his teammates.

Pride was part of what had brought him back here today. Hanabi would officially become a ninja in just a few minutes, if she hadn't already. Of this, there was no doubt in his mind. Their private training had been progressing smoothly, and by now she would be able to handle anything the Academy threw at her with ease. Neji had assured her of this, and in response, she'd asked if he would honor her graduation with his presence.

The presentation ceremony itself meant nothing to Hanabi, and she hadn't seemed all that eager at the idea of finally getting her hands on a Konoha headband, either. Naturally, Neji had been surprised at the invitation, but now he understood that it was the only way Hanabi would be able to look back on this day meaningfully. He was the only one, in her opinion, who had given her any real training. His presence was a way of showing that he agreed with her promotion, and that she was worthy of being recognized by him as a ninja.

After several more minutes of waiting, Neji was tempted to use the Byakugan and find Hanabi himself. Knowing her, she might have wandered off with her headband before they had been handed out. But it seemed he wouldn't have to look, as the first new graduates flooded out of the Academy a few seconds later. Most of them were wearing huge grins, some were shouting and cheering, and a few were pensive and silent.

Strangely, even when the crowd had thinned out to the last few stragglers, Hanabi still had not emerged.

Certain now that something was not right, Neji pushed away from the tree and started walking towards the Academy, seconds before the door opened one last time.

He could see at once that she'd been crying. Yet the very idea of Hanabi, of all people, crying, was so alien to Neji that he could hardly accept it. He had seen her cry only once, and that had been when…

Ah. So that was it, then.

Sighing, he continued approaching her. He nearly tripped when he could not spot the Konoha headband anywhere on her person. What madness was this? Who could've possibly been so blind that they denied Hanabi what she, more than anyone else in her class, deserved? Then he saw that one arm was thrust behind her back, as if hiding something. The Byakugan confirmed his suspicion, and he relaxed considerably.

Hanabi desperately wiped her eyes with her arm, but it was still easy for him to see that they were slightly red from her tears when he was right in front of her.

"What is it, Hanabi-sama?" Neji asked quietly, genuine concern in his tone. "Why aren't you wearing-"

"Iruka-sensei said he was very proud of me," Hanabi interrupted, sniffling a bit. "That he expected nothing less of a Hyuuga."

Neji frowned, knowing exactly where this was going.

"He said… that I reminded him of HER!" she sobbed, taking in great gulps of air as she tried to force herself to stop crying.

He sighed. For some reason, Neji was the only one that knew just how much Hanabi hated being compared to Hinata, especially now. The comparisons always brought out Hinata's many faults, and those, Neji suspected, were what really made Hanabi so upset. Despite her faults, Hinata had found the resolve to change her fate, albeit far too drastically for both their tastes. She had abandoned her clan, and technically betrayed Konoha in the process. In truth, Hinata was too kind to be capable of betrayal of any sort, and had only left to escape becoming disowned, forced into the branch house, or worse.

The problem was, Hanabi didn't really have any faults, or at least not any glaring ones like Hinata had. Yet everything she did would inevitably be compared to what her older sister had done. Hinata had managed to cast a bigger shadow by leaving than she ever could have by staying, and it would take a great deal of effort for Hanabi to ever escape its reach. Was it any wonder that part of her hated Hinata for that?

Neji understood what it was like to hate and care for Hinata at the same time. He could not forgive what she had done to him, even though he understood why she had done it, and respected that. Still, he wondered if she was alive, if she had learned anything worthwhile, and if he would ever see her again. She was a missing-nin now, and so could never return to Konoha, but Neji had never planned to stay there all of his life, anyway. Nor did he doubt that when he left, Hanabi would be at his side.

Some things were just too hard to let go of.

"Will you not wear your headband, Hanabi?" he asked.

She noticed at once that he had dropped the usual honorific, and this seemed to appease her somewhat, as her sniffling ended. "I will not," she whispered.

"And why not?"

"It means nothing to me. It represents what she has done, not what I have."

Neji considered that for a few seconds before he spoke again. "You will bear no mark that you have come this far, then?"

Hanabi lifted her head slowly. "There is one I would… but it is not mine to demand."

His curiosity eventually got the best of him. "And what is this mark that does not belong to you?"

She hesitated for a second, but then forced herself to answer. "You are my sensei, Neji-oniisan. I would proudly wear your headband."

It was an outrageous request, to say the least. The headband was not only a symbol of ninja certification, it was also a pact between a ninja and their village of origin. They were only replaced in the most extreme circumstances, and these were few and far between, since it was expected that one would go to great lengths to keep the headband safe and whole.

Yet Neji's headband was even more important to him than that. It had seen him through a number of encounters already, and, more importantly, it hid the mark of his ultimate shame at all times. He had never even considered adjusting it for anyone's sake, much less taking it off.

And as much as his headband meant to him, he knew it would mean even more to Hanabi.

She would not care if it were dirty, sweaty, or stained with his blood. Nor would she care if it were damaged in some way. All that mattered was that it belonged to him, and that he had given it to her.

Before he knew it, his fingers had already loosened the knot behind his head. With obvious reluctance, he removed the headband and knelt down in front of Hanabi, who had again lowered her head in shame, no doubt disgusted with herself for crying in front of him.

"What you say is true, Hanabi," Neji said quietly, gently brushing her hair aside so he could tie his headband loosely around her slim neck. "You are my student, and so it falls to me to inform you of when you have met certain expectations of mine. I trust you will guard this even more carefully than I have."

For the first time since he had known her, Hanabi was unable to speak, as opposed to just unwilling. She stared at his gift for a long moment, and then at him, her wide, shocked eyes taking in all of his face, and finally the Cursed Seal now revealed on his forehead. Her gaze rested there for some time, but at last, she pressed her own newly obtained headband into his hand.

Neji made quick work of recovering his forehead, even though everyone else had long since gone. He had always been ashamed of the Cursed Seal, and allowing Hanabi to see it was something he had never planned for. He felt so vulnerable now, even with it covered. It was strange, since Hanabi had known all along it was there, even if she couldn't have seen it without the aid of the Byakugan.

"I wish to train tonight," Hanabi said abruptly. "Are you available?"

"I am," Neji replied at once, eager to regain a sense of normalcy between them. He never wanted to appear uncertain around her if he could help it. "We should go now," he added after a short pause.

She nodded once, and before either of them knew what was happening, her small hand had reached out and caught his in a surprisingly firm grip.

His first instinct was to pull away quickly, before they were seen. The obvious risk of earning her wrath aside, Hanabi's father would probably not look upon such a sight with anything even resembling acceptance. But Neji told himself that it was just a small thing, really. It could be considered another reward for her progress today. It was something to keep her mind from returning to thoughts of Hinata, perhaps.

For whatever reason, Neji did not pull away, and instead closed his hand around her own as they walked away from the Academy.

He didn't hate Hanabi as he had Hinata. Nor did he feel the same about the younger cousin as he had the older when his hatred had become grudging acceptance. Yet it would be quite a stretch to call what he felt for either love of any kind. Concern was probably a better word for it, and even that seemed so lacking.

"Oniisan," he heard Hanabi say for the first time, and looked down to see her staring straight ahead. "I am pleased that you accepted my invitation."

He could think of nothing to say to that, but Hanabi didn't seem to mind at all. He was fairly certain of that, because he could never recall seeing that tiny smile on her face before now.

**End of Part 3.**

* * *

Endnotes:

Hanabi no longer referring to Neji as "Neji-oniisan" means something, just as his simply calling her "Hanabi" means something. I suppose I should try to explain it, for those who wouldn't know (especially since I just learned the difference myself!).

As it was explained to me, Hinata says "Neji-niisan" to indicate her emotional relationship to him, as opposed to her genetic one (cousins). She thinks of him as an older brother, and addresses him as such, although if he actually were her brother, she would probably just say "niisan". The fact that she uses his name at the same time indicates that he isn't actually her brother, oddly enough. So Hanabi saying only "oniisan" should be taken to mean that she considers Neji her true big brother in every way that matters.

On the other hand, if they had a normal relationship, Neji would've just said "Hanabi-chan" from the start, but they don't, so he doesn't.

Neji called her "Hanabi-sama" to show her the proper respect (as he assumedly would for all main house members), but stops once he feels emotionally close enough to her to do so. It's not that he doesn't respect her anymore, just that they're familiar enough now where it's not necessary to be so formal.

* * *

Disclaimer: See first disclaimer. I'm lazy like that.

Notes: Another part, just like I promised. It fits with the above part in some ways (this one occurs later the same day, but at night), and in others, I thought it deserved some distinction. Though perhaps the real reason I didn't make them both one part is that I got attached to the title. I just love that concept.

**Hyuuga Secret Arts**

**Companion to "White Dog Night"**

**Part 3.2: The Art of Speaking in Silence**

**A Naruto Ficlet by**

**Nate Grey (XMAN0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

Neji did not so much sense Hanabi's presence in his room. Actually, he heard it, which was surprising to say the least.

Hanabi had a quiet way of doing nearly everything. Unless one was specifically listening out for her, more often than not, she would never be detected. Neji had virtually had to retrain himself to catch the signs of her approach: the soft rustling of her dark-colored shifts against her pale legs, the near-silent sound of her breathing, or the whispery brush of her long hair against some overlooked object.

This night, Hanabi was still quiet, and yet loud enough that it was impossible for him to miss her arrival. She managed to stub her toe shortly upon entering, muttered what could only be a curse under her breath, and then actually whispered his name, as if he wasn't already awake.

But, feeling strangely amused by this turn of events, Neji gave no sign at all that he had heard her. He was curious to see what Hanabi would do next, and more than that, he wondered what she might do when she thought no one was listening.

As usual, Hanabi did not disappoint him. Not unlike the first time she'd visited his room, she climbed onto his bed and stared at him expectantly. But either Neji's pantomime of sleep had improved phenomenally, or Hanabi just had no further desire to announce her presence at the time, because she merely sat there, sometimes looking at him, and sometimes not.

Nearly thirty minutes passed in this manner, and it became pretty obvious that Hanabi wasn't going to leave anytime soon. She had limited all her motions to turning her head, wetting her lips, and occasionally, raising and lowering her hand, as if she wanted to do something, but convinced herself not to each time.

Still Neji waited, convinced he would learn the purpose of this late-night visit soon enough.

Finally, Hanabi did something he truly wasn't expecting.

He felt small fingers moving over his right hand, lifting it, and then simply holding onto it. He waited for her to do something, anything else with his hand, but she didn't.

It took several minutes for him to accept that Hanabi merely wanted to hold his hand. While he assumed it was nothing as simple as that, she at least hadn't been obvious about doing anything else with it. She hadn't poked or pulled, only held. Perhaps she wanted to know if his fingers held a certain power, as hers did.

"Will you leave me, too, oniisan?" Hanabi whispered, her grip on his hand tightening for a second.

"Of course not, Hanabi," Neji answered without thinking. "I still have many things left to teach you."

He was sure she would let go, and for a moment, it seemed as if she might. But, realizing she'd already been caught, Hanabi simply held onto his hand a little tighter.

"You don't believe me?" he asked.

"I can't," was Hanabi's soft reply. "Hinata was weak, but she was the most honest person I knew. And even she deceived me."

It bothered him, how quickly Hanabi had simply stopped referring to Hinata as her sister, and started using only her name. He couldn't be sure if that was a personal choice, or if she was just following the example of her father and the elders. But Neji realized that he as well had stopped thinking of her as "Hinata-sama," though he could not pinpoint exactly when that had happened.

"It upsets you, being compared to her," he stated quietly.

Hanabi nodded wordlessly.

"I will not compare you to her, Hanabi, so long as you extend the same courtesy to me. That is fair, is it not?"

She blinked as her mind took in his meaning. All his life, he had been compared to Hinata, and even though he was superior in every way, still he was lacking the one thing that would've made the biggest difference: the proper lineage.

"I did not mean to offend you, oniisan," she apologized softly.

"You didn't. But Hinata is no longer a member of this clan, and her actions should not determine what happens between us. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Hanabi answered.

"Good." Neji sighed and stared blankly at the ceiling. "Suppose you tell me why you are here."

She hesitated in answering. "It is not a good reason," she said at last.

"I will be the judge of that. Go on."

"I… had to be sure… that you were still here."

"As you can see, I am." He waited a few seconds. "Why are you still here?"

"You will think I am being childish," she whispered, sounding disgusted with herself.

Neji only barely resisted the urge to smile. "It might surprise you to learn that childhood, however unpleasant, is an inescapable period in every human life, Hanabi. If you happen to be in possession of any leftover traits from that period, I assure you that you hide them very well, and that I will not think any less of you if they should happen to slip out from time to time."

"I don't want to be alone anymore."

He turned his head to look directly at her, and was startled to see Hanabi's eyes growing damp. "And what makes you feel that you are alone?"

"This power I have. This clan. The way people look at me when I do go outside. And…"

"Hinata?"

She shut her eyes tightly and slowly nodded. "She was so useless… and at times, I hated her. But… she was always there. And now… I can't even hate her, because she's not supposed to exist anymore." Hanabi pressed a hand to her heart. "But I can feel her, even now. It hurts. And I hate it. And I hate the memory of her, for making me feel this way."

Neji shook his head. "I don't think that is a feeling you can rid yourself of, Hanabi. It may only be something you can bury deep inside of you."

"I wish it were that simple," Hanabi murmured. "But I can't. Because I know wherever she is, whatever she's doing… she still thinks of me as her sister. She still loves me. I can never be at peace unless I deal with her feelings for me."

"How will you do that?" he asked.

"One day," she whispered, "I will find her. I will tell her what she did to me. And then… we will settle everything between us."

"No," Neji said at once.

Her head whipped around in anger. "What?"

"Have you forgotten our terms already, Hanabi? You will challenge no opponent who outranks you without my permission. Hinata is a genin. You are not."

"You would deny me this?" Hanabi asked in disbelief.

"I am not denying you anything. I simply have not yet given you permission to challenge Hinata. When I have determined that you are prepared to face her, then I will give you my permission."

"I don't understand," she muttered after a long moment.

Neji smirked. "Yes, you do. You are merely unwilling to accept it. Clearly, there is much more I will need to teach you."

There was, indeed. Hanabi did not want to be alone, and yet she already had her heart set on hunting down one of the few people who would never leave her mind. She was not ready, and she would not be ready anytime soon. Not until she realized that she wasn't alone, simply because there was someone right next to her, even at this very moment.

Hanabi was still considering his words when he touched her shoulder. "Go to sleep, Hanabi. You will have plenty of time to think on this later."

"Yes, oniisan," she replied, still sounding reluctant. But without any further complaint, she lay down beside him and promptly closed her eyes.

While he hadn't meant that she should go to sleep in his bed, Neji wasn't too concerned. There was only one possible heir now, and no matter how she behaved, the clan wouldn't dare get rid of her. He, on the other hand, could still be punished, but with any luck, Hanabi would be in a position to put a stop to that soon enough.

He was just about to go back to sleep himself when he noticed that Hanabi still hadn't released his hand. Considering why she had come to him in the first place, Neji could not think of a solid reason to deny her this simple physical contact, especially if it helped her focus.

Within moments, they were both asleep, neither having any clue as to what the next day would bring.

* * *

Hanabi was gone when Neji woke up, and yet, her presence was not.

There was an odd tingling sensation in his right hand, and as he lifted it for closer inspection, the feeling begin to spread rapidly throughout his body. It was a very pleasant feeling, one of comfort, warmth, and even… fuzziness?

His eyes lit up in shock as he finally made the connection.

"Is this… Hanabi's power, too?" he murmured, even as he recognized that the spread of sensation in that manner was too familiar to ignore. He wasn't certain what surprised him more: that there was another aspect to Hanabi's "dark" gift, or that she had actually been in a good enough mood to pass such feelings on to him.

Immediately, Neji became curious. What had changed in the few hours that he had been asleep? What could have made Hanabi so very pleased? e had assumed she would still be at least slightly upset with him, but clearly this was not the case.

After several minutes of meditation, Neji could only come up with one conclusion.

Hanabi had woken up first, only to find that she was next to him, and therefore no longer alone. And perhaps that was what she'd wanted and needed more than anything else.

**End of Part 3.2.**

* * *

Endnotes:

I did warn you there was more to Hanabi's technique. In short, she can pass on whatever she's feeling at the moment through touch. Even warm fuzzies, rare as that might be for her.

Keep in mind that Hanabi is currently an Academy graduate, which makes her only a ninja, not a genin. She still has to pass a test (the "bell test" in Naruto's case) before she becomes a genin. So in terms of official ranking, Hinata does outrank her. If you're curious about who she ends up with for teammates, I'll get to that next time.


	4. The Art of Destiny

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kyuubi, and anyone who says different will probably have their head bitten off, and that's only if he's feeling merciful, which is highly unlikely, by the way. But Kyuubi belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, so that's who you really need to fear…

Notes: I'm really veering away from canon with one (well, actually both) of Hanabi's teammates. But, hopefully that'll make them more interesting.

Summary: Neji reflects on Hanabi's accomplishments so far.

**Hyuuga Secret Arts**

**(Companion to "White Dog Night")**

**Part 4: The Art of Destiny**

**A Naruto Ficlet by**

**Nate Grey (XMAN0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

How far she had come in such a short time.

His little Hanabi.

Neji thought of her that way only because he could see himself in her now: her rage, her arrogance, and her complete confidence in her own abilities. Those were gifts he had no real intention of passing on, because there was always a risk of corrupting her. Yet pass them on he had, and eagerly she had accepted, though she still somehow managed to remain true to herself, and to him.

Hanabi's ceaseless drive to better herself had won her powerful allies. Within her cell were represented three of Konoha's more well-known clans, and Neji couldn't have selected more fitting teammates for her himself.

Konohamaru, grandson of the Sandaime Hokage, had been completely smitten the first time he laid eyes on Hanabi. Though already placed in another cell, he had used his status (and a substantial amount of complaining) to get himself onto Hanabi's team. Neji's first impression was that the boy was a spoiled brat, and even worse, a loud and annoying one. Aside from the status, he'd reminded Neji a great deal of Uzumaki Naruto… and as it turned out, there was good reason for that. Claiming to be Naruto's number one apprentice, Konohamaru had proceeded to do what his "boss" did best: overturn the prevailing attitudes against him with undeniable talent and a lucky streak a mile long. He was among the best "shape-stealers" in Konoha, so long as the target was a very attractive female (his Tsunade had won rave reviews). Though a natural prankster, Konohamaru could only be reigned in by a sharp look from Hanabi, and obeyed any order from her without question.

At the opposite end of the scale was the mysterious Nara Kouji. Like the rest of his clan, he could manipulate shadows. Unlike the rest of his clan, he practically was a shadow. The rumor floating around was that he had been badly burned at a very young age. There were always heavy bandages covering his face and forearms, save for his prominent, yellow, almost feline eyes. He wore black at all times, more than likely to reduce enemy visibility when in his element. Kouji had mastered the ability to transport himself through shadows, virtually teleporting, even before he'd graduated from the Academy. A curious addition to his attire was the colored vials worn around his waist on a thick belt. He could commonly be seen splashing the contents of one vial or another on his bandages, and it was thought that they were medicine for his burns. Neji suspected some of them were more in line with soldier pills, considering the Nara Clan's ties with the Akimichi Clan. While he never spoke much, Kouji seemed content with his teammates. Several times Neji had seen him accompanying (but never participating with) Konohamaru on his latest prank, or allowing Hanabi to use him as a practice dummy (one vial had to be a painkiller, since he never flinched from her blows). Like Konohamaru, he had no problems taking orders from Hanabi, and had even become something of a bodyguard whenever Neji was unable to escort her around the village.

For her part, Hanabi tolerated Konohamaru's foolishness, though she was not above a jab to his head if she thought he deserved it. She got along much better with Kouji, possibly because he had no romantic interest in her and knew how to keep his mouth shut. At any rate, she was the obvious leader. It didn't matter that Konohamaru had brought his own tutor, Ebisu, in to be the team's elite jounin instructor. While Hanabi was usually willing to listen to his advice, she had become known for turning around and doing something entirely different, yet twice as effective, all while still in plain sight of Ebisu himself. Any time that Ebisu got red in the face, Konohamaru was quick to remind him that Hanabi was the Hyuuga heir, and, more importantly, the future wife of the next Hokage (him, or so he boasted). Hanabi did not care at all for such claims, but since they allowed her to maintain uncontested control of the team, she did not refute them.

Together, they had achieved fame that was nearly unheard for such a young genin group. And while some of this could be credited solely to Konohamaru being on the team, it was so much more than that. Hanabi had only allowed her team to track down one lost pet before she outright refused to accept another D-ranked mission. Her "punishment" was a series of B-rank missions, all of which her team came out of relatively untouched (except for Konohamaru, and no one could prove that Hanabi hadn't roughed him up herself). Impressed with their unmatched stealth, Hatake Kakashi had dubbed them "The Three Little Shadows of Konoha" (with a promise to remove the "Little" once they were chuunin). The name stuck, and even the Godaime Hokage had recognized them as her "little Hokages in training."

But Neji knew that as far as Hanabi was concerned, becoming Hokage was an unnecessary burden that she didn't care to deal with. She would have enough baggage once she took over the Hyuuga Clan.

He remembered how worried he'd been, the night Hanabi told him her dream of joining ANBU. She'd insisted that only in ANBU could she learn the skills she would need later on in life, though she would not say for what. She'd asked for his approval, and reluctantly, he'd given it to her. Why? He still wasn't certain. It was not a matter of doubt, because Hanabi never spoke of goals unless she meant to achieve them. For her, ANBU was merely a means to an end.

It had bothered Neji a great deal, when Morino Ibiki first approached him to inquire about Hanabi. She hadn't been a genin for more than an hour, and Ibiki had wanted to know if Neji thought she was ANBU material. Neji had only agreed to talk to the man because since first meeting him in the chuunin exam, he had thought of Ibiki as something of a kindred spirit. Here was a man that knew it meant to bear scars that weren't so easy to hide. Since then they had spoken on more than few occasions, though never about Hanabi until then.

To this day, Neji wondered what ANBU looked for, what they saw in her even then (and especially how they'd known to come to him in the first place). Was it the same thing that had drawn Uchiha Itachi to them? That was his greatest concern, that she would become Konoha's fourth great plague, after the Kyuubi, Itachi, and Orochimaru.

Thankfully, ANBU waited until Hanabi became a chuunin at 13 before snatching her up. She had probably been qualified as a genin, and Neji hoped that their choosing to wait even that long was a sign that they had learned somewhat from their mistakes with Itachi.

Joining ANBU had required that Hanabi limit attachments to the outside world during her term of service (not that she'd had more than a handful to start with). When she told Neji that, he was afraid he'd already lost her. She'd said that it was not mandatory that they stop speaking, but that she thought it was for the best. He would distract her, she claimed. He had agreed only because he knew this was important to her, and that she would never forgive him if he blocked her "predestined" path in life. Hanabi firmly believed that she was working towards being able to face Hinata again, and somewhere along the line, Neji had started to share that belief.

It was as if Hanabi simply ceased to exist. It was true that the specific activities of ANBU were rarely ever made public, but it was still not unusual to see them around the village occasionally, and especially in the company of the Hokage. But Neji never spotted Hanabi among them, and soon realized that she almost had to be purposely avoiding public appearances. Often the only way he could get any news of her was by hanging around outside of the Godaime's office, until she got sick of him and assured him that she'd seen Hanabi recently. And if he had to take Tonton for a walk or assist Shizune in surgery with his Byakugan before she would say anything, it was a small price to pay.

Neji would've thought that time would pass slowly without Hanabi, but it seemed to do just the opposite. There was plenty to do in the meantime concerning his own life.

First, he decided to pursue jounin certification. In a rather odd yet fitting twist of fate, what he had come to think of as "the Uzumaki Curse" came back to haunt him yet again. Neji's jounin examination was proctored by none other than Temari, the Sand kunoichi who had defeated Tenten at the chuunin exam. Even worse, apparently Naruto had at some point bonded with Gaara's family, and Temari wasn't shy about stating up front that she'd put Neji through hell before he became a jounin.

She hadn't lied. It was one of the longest months of his life, but in the end, Temari passed him (wearing one of the most sadistic smiles he'd ever seen). Neji still couldn't look her in the eye without shuddering slightly, and he strongly suspected she liked it that way.

His teammates also took up quite a bit of his time with constant sparring, but by then Neji had reached a point where he didn't mind this at all. Tenten had helped him perfect several of his own techniques in the past, and Lee, for all his failings, was always an eager opponent. He came to think of them as extra fingers: not necessary to his success, but helpful all the same.

Neji had always known Lee to be incredibly dedicated when it came to improving his taijutsu skills, but it was Tenten who eventually emerged as the true fanatic in bettering herself. Her determination had puzzled Neji for quite some time, and he could only guess that she either had never really gotten over her loss to Temari, or she was still trying to prove herself worthy of Neji's attention. The latter he could understand; after that first kiss during the chuunin exam, any romantic inclinations between them had simply come to a halt.

It was not so much that Neji had no desire to pursue a relationship with her, as he did not feel he was capable of giving Tenten his full attention yet. Even if she did not demand it, Neji knew she deserved it, and there were still many goals for him to achieve before he could seriously consider being with her. He had tried to explain this to her, but he wasn't sure she understood it the way he did. Despite her willingness to wait, in the meantime Tenten seemed entirely devoted to the idea that Neji could not and would not be allowed to forget about her. At times, Neji actually felt like they were already a couple; they didn't necessarily act like one, but Tenten was so frequent a presence in his life that it was nearly impossible to distance himself from her… not that he tried all that hard after a while.

Hanabi was never too far from his thoughts, however. In his mind, Neji knew why he treated most aspects of his life with a certain sense of detachment. He needed to be ready to leave Konoha at a moment's notice.

One day, Hanabi would return to him. She would be stronger, wiser, and certainly more deadly than he had ever known her to be.

And something told him she would not be willing to wait long.

**End of Part 4.**

* * *

Endnotes:

Don't look too hard for a reference on Kouji, I made him up. Why wouldn't he end up in an InoShikaCho trio? Partially because I doubt three clans can constantly produce the exact same number of kids (or only ONE kid) for very long, but mostly because Kouji would be Shikamaru's cousin to avoid all that hassle. It's pretty likely there are more clan members we never see (clan implies several related families living together, but a widespread decrease in clan size might explain the shortage of ninja in Konoha that makes it necessary for genin to take on higher-ranked missions).

I notice the Rookie Nine cells follow a general pattern of combining a loudmouth, a quiet one, and a deep thinker (I guess Chouji would be quiet in the sense that his mouth is usually full). I didn't feel quite so obligated to do that with Hanabi's team… but in drawing influences from Rookie Nine members (namely Hinata, Naruto, and Shikamaru), it seemed to work out that way despite my best efforts.

I don't think it's ever specified how jounin certification is achieved. It's probably more fun for fans to imagine for themselves, anyway. I do think it makes sense that Temari would become a jounin before Neji, though. Neji's team trained for an extra year before attempting the chuunin exam, which implies that Gaara's team was even more well-trained. It may be that Sand nin are just better equipped to deal with heavy taijutsu users, but I doubt it. Gaara and Temari practically bulldozed Lee and Tenten, and the idea that Kankurou was actually holding back (and that Temari could probably perform her summon even then) just makes me think their abilities were already chuunin-level (where Neji's may have been just slightly above genin). I can't really be sure, since Neji's luck pitted him against Naruto.


	5. The Art of Renewing Oaths

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and friends (and enemies and anyone else he might encounter, thus adding them to the collective, for all their base are belong to us).

Notes: No doubt you know that there has been a rather large time skip as of Part 5 of "White Dog Night." Hopefully you'll find Neji and Hanabi's side of it just as, if not more interesting (it's certainly long enough). And for those who didn't catch the revision, shinobi hunters actually are part of ANBU. My bad!

WARNING: You need to have read the second chapter of "Building Clan Uzumaki" and the first chapter of "Rise of the Rokudaime" to get one or two plot points concerning Ibiki and Sakura.

**Hyuuga Secret Arts**

**Companion to "White Dog Night"**

**Part 5: The Art of Renewing Oaths**

**A Naruto Ficlet by**

**Nate Grey (XMAN0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

* * *

Hyuuga Neji had woken up to find an uninvited visitor in his bedroom only so many times in his life. Oddly enough, each time it had been Hanabi, and each time he had never exactly bothered to send her away, as had been his first instinct. It would've been fair to say he'd grown somewhat accustomed to such occurrences, despite the fact that the last time had been before Hanabi joined ANBU almost ten years ago. Deep down, he probably even missed them, and more specifically, her.

Naturally, he assumed that the next occurrence would follow the general pattern Hanabi always had.

It did not.

Neji usually sensed Hanabi's presence, either as she entered the room, or when she'd been near him long enough. Never before had he... smelled her. And, strangely enough, he did not smell her this time.

It was Hinata he smelled, which jerked him awake none too gently, kunai in hand as he swiftly sat up in his bed.

"Good morning, oniisan," said a soft voice to his left. "Did I wake you?"

Neji's eyes widened as he took in the form of the half-dressed woman sitting in front of his mirror, her back facing him. Thankfully, everything he would have considered indecent was covered, either by bandages or the robes of solid back settled around her waist. But he did not lower the kunai until he noticed the white mask lying facedown on the floor next to her.

"Hanabi," he breathed in relief.

She turned her head slightly, their eyes meeting over her shoulder. "Who did you believe me to be?"

Neji didn't answer as his gaze moved from her eyes to the small, green container of herbal balm in her hand. He wondered if she actually realized just who had given it to him as he watched Hanabi smear some of the balm onto a small cut on her arm. It had been years, but he hadn't thought Hanabi could forget a smell like that.

"How long have you been here?" he asked instead.

"Not long. I came directly from my last assignment." She paused to close the container of balm and put it aside. "I am glad to see you have been well."

"I suppose you will be leaving again soon," Neji said slowly.

She nodded. "There is one more mission, before I officially retire."

That got his attention. "You're leaving ANBU?" he asked in surprise.

Hanabi slowly turned to face him. "I requested to be reassigned a year ago. I have been in training ever since."

The notion seemed so absurd to Neji that he almost laughed. "What could you possibly need additional training for, Hanabi?"

"As I said, I have chosen another area of expertise." She picked up the mask with obvious reverence, and Neji's blood ran cold as he got a good look at it.

It was not the mask of a typical ANBU soldier, as he had thought.

It was the mask of a shinobi hunter.

Hanabi noticed the expression on his face, but continued on as if she hadn't. "There were only three outstanding cases to date. I accepted the lowest ranked one, and was surprised to learn that no one else had for some time. Hinata has somehow managed to turn back every hunter-nin that was sent after her. Not one was killed, and very few suffered dog bites. One would think that she had become strong after all."

Neji frowned. "And what do you think?" he asked.

"I will reserve judgment until I am able to test her strength myself."

"You do remember the terms of our agreement, Hanabi?"

"I do, oniisan," she replied with a small nod. "I am not allowed to challenge her without your permission." Hanabi sat on the edge of the bed, plucking the kunai from his fingers. "We leave in two days."

He watched as she carefully began to engrave something in her hunter's mask with the kunai. "Why do I get the impression that you had this planned far in advance?"

"I have dreamed of this moment every night since she left," Hanabi answered quietly. "There has been more than enough time to make preparations, and to change my mind. Both are set in stone."

"Hanabi..." Neji began to say.

"You cannot change my mind," she interrupted at once.

"That's not what I was going to say." He reached out and placed a hand on her bare shoulder. "I have missed you."

"I'm aware."

"That's not quite the answer I was hoping for."

Hanabi sighed. "I did not miss you. I couldn't. You may not have seen me, but I saw you."

"You were watching me?" Neji asked, amusement in his tone.

"Only when I wasn't busy," she insisted. "I had to be sure you were making good use of our time apart. You needed to prepare for this day as well."

"True," he agreed. "But everything between Hinata and I can be settled with words. The same does not apply to your situation."

"You have no desire to test her for yourself?" Hanabi asked.

"I'll leave that to you," Neji responded. "You are by far the better opponent for her. She will be prepared for my techniques, but not for yours. And this is your fight, not mine."

"It will be as you say, oniisan," she murmured, not exactly managing to sound displeased.

Neither of them spoke for several moments, and the only sound in the room was the soft scraping of the kunai against Hanabi's mask.

Neji found himself staring at Hanabi, taking in all the changes since he had last seen her. Probably the most notable one was the solid black ANBU tattoo high on her left arm. Her hair flowed down her back like a silken waterfall, long enough that it pooled around her hips as she leaned forward slightly. For some unknown reason, Neji suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to run his fingers through her hair, to breathe in the scent of it, to lose himself completely in it, to know nothing but the silken embrace of it.

The strange, even frightening urge faded instantly as Hanabi lowered her head slightly, and Neji blinked several times to clear his thoughts. But as he gazed at her again, his eyes fell on the clean, white bandages completely covering her breasts, abdomen, and back. It was certainly not an unusual area in which to be wounded, yet he could not imagine Hanabi ever lowering her guard that much for so long.

"Were you injured?" Neji asked softly.

"No." The scraping came to an abrupt end, and Hanabi carefully placed the kunai beside her on the bed.

"Then why-"

"My... talent," Hanabi said quietly. "It... leaked out again."

He stared at her uncertainly, before finally asking, "Why?"

She turned her head to stare at him. "As near as I can tell, it was… hungry."

* * *

"You're not really going to let Hanabi kill her, are you?"

Neji did not look up, nor did he need to. He had sensed the familiar presence of his teammate minutes before she finally appeared in front of him. That he had begun to swing a kunai back and forth between two fingers was a sure sign that her approach had bothered him. It was the only thing even remotely close to a nervous habit he'd ever developed, and as he matured, he found he only did so when something was eating away at him.

"Don't you dare ignore me, Neji!" Tenten snapped, snatching the kunai away from him. That she was probably one of only two people in Konoha that could do so with such ease was not lost on him.

"I would never," Neji replied, finally raising his gaze to hers. "I was thinking of how to best answer your question."

"As if you ever needed that long to answer any question." Tenten crossed her arms over her chest, clearly still angry with him. "Well?" she asked after a few seconds had passed. "Are you?"

"I cannot even begin to imagine why this would concern you at all."

"Don't you give me that, Neji. You know why it does." When he continued to stare at her expectantly, she growled at him. "Fine! You know, the only reason I ever hated Hinata is because you hated her! And the real reason you hated her is because of what she represented! Well, guess what? She doesn't represent any of that anymore! She's not the heir, she isn't weak, and she no longer has the innocence you envied! Hell, she's not even a Hyuuga anymore! Why would you want her dead now?"

Neji sighed patiently. "I don't recall ever stating that I wanted her to die, Tenten."

"Everyone knows that Hanabi is a hunter-nin now. What other reason could she possibly have except for wanting to kill Hinata?"

"Hanabi has expressed great interest in tracking down Hinata. I have agreed to help her. Beyond that, we haven't really discussed what we would do once she was found."

"I don't see how you can be so calm about this!" Tenten suddenly kicked him in the shin, but only hard enough to get his full attention. "This is partially your fault, anyway!"

"Explain," Neji challenged at once.

"There's a million reasons why Hinata might have left, but I can guess one of them. She did it for you, Neji. Don't tell me you can't see that?"

"I don't," he insisted.

"Liar!" Tenten cried. "You know she cared for you! She left because she didn't want you to forever blame her for the sins of her father! She left because she couldn't stand the way you looked at her! She left because she thought it was the only way to free you from your responsibility! More than that, she left because she loved you like a brother, you insensitive jerk!"

Neji shook his head. "She should have considered what that would mean to her own sister, then. In leaving, she ensured that Hanabi would become the heir by default. It was the greatest insult that Hanabi ever experienced: to be chosen simply because she was the only choice left. In Hanabi's eyes, it is an unforgivable offense."

"But why are you going along with her on this?" Tenten demanded.

"I swore to Hanabi that we would find Hinata together. I will not go back on my word, Tenten."

"No one's asking you to, Neji," Tenten sighed. "Just don't stand there and let Hanabi kill her. It wouldn't be right. Hinata ran away from these things so she wouldn't have to deal with them again. It's not fair to drag her back into it just to die."

"If Hanabi wishes for her sister's death, it is not my place to interfere."

Tenten stared at him in disbelief. "Neji, you're the only one who could! Hanabi won't listen to anyone else!"

"I know that. But I cannot deny Hanabi something she may need."

"You've changed," Tenten whispered. "I thought Hanabi was the one, but it's really you. The Neji I know wouldn't just go along with this." She swallowed noisily, shaking her head. "Do what you have to. But I want you to remember something when you do find Hinata."

Neji tensed up as Tenten seized his face, and when he opened his mouth to protest, she crushed her lips against his in a rough, passionate kiss. It seemed like years since she had last done this, and yet she still possessed the elusive, magical sensation that never failed to leave him helpless. When she was done, Tenten stroked his cheek tenderly.

"The man I love would bring Hinata back alive," she whispered, staring into his eyes. "I guess we'll find out soon enough if you're still that man, Neji." With that, she left him alone with his thoughts.

Word of Hanabi's career change apparently had spread overnight, because Neji received more than a few glares as he walked through the village that day. He couldn't help but marvel at the irony, though. No one had thought it odd that the Hyuuga main house had left Hinata's fate up to the Council of Elders. No one had complained when other shinobi hunters were sent after her. And now they had the audacity to turn on Hanabi, who had suffered the most from Hinata's abandonment, and was the only one left willing to correct the situation?

Neji had to remind himself several times that public opinion really didn't matter. Hanabi hadn't concerned herself with what people would say, and neither should he. They were doing this partially for the good of the clan, and no doubt would have the firm backing of the Hyuuga elders. It was vital that Hanabi took care of any unresolved issues before she actively assumed her role as clan head.

Even now, she was meeting with the elders, formally accepting their support of the venture. Neji would have gladly accompanied her, but this was something she needed to do alone. Hanabi needed to show that she could stand alone when it was necessary. When she required his aid, he had no doubt that she would request it. Despite her pride, she knew he would always be there, and Hanabi had never been one to leave a useful tool unused.

* * *

"We have complete faith in your ability to handle this matter."

"You perform a great service for your clan in erasing this error."

"Now is the time to step forward, where others fell behind."

Hanabi heard the elders speaking, but she was not listening. All of her senses were trained firmly on her father. He was the only one in the dimly lit room who mattered to her.

His face was still strong, even regal, his hair a distinguished shade of gray. She could see the pride shining through his eyes whenever their gazes locked.

He had never looked at Hinata that way, but that realization was nowhere near as pleasing as Hanabi had once thought it would be. His approval, above all others, made her feel cold and empty, and though that was nothing new for her, it was suddenly sickening.

Finally, she had heard enough.

"Leave us. I must speak with my father."

The elders disregarded her lack of respect this time. They understood (or thought they did) that she hadn't spoken to her father in years, and that there were things that needed to be discussed before she left. Things solely for the ears of a father and his daughter. So they filed out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Though she had been the one to demand this, Hanabi merely stared at him, waiting for him to speak.

"I know you will do what must be done, Hanabi. It is both your duty, and your right."

"Shall I bring back the head?"

Hiashi did not hesitate in the least, nor did his eyes stray an inch from hers. "Your word is proof enough for me. But the elders would be happier with proof they can see."

Hanabi closed her eyes. "There is something I must share with you."

He waited for her to speak, but it was some time before she actually did. Instead, she removed the Leaf headband from her neck, and then began to methodically tie it around her forehead. There was something in the process that Hiashi found disturbingly familiar, but the memory was just beyond his reach in that moment.

Much later, he would realize that she hadn't bothered, or needed, to adjust her hair in any way to accomplish that simple task.

"Whatever her fate… whatever she would see in her last moments… they were mine to decide. They were always mine… my responsibility, and my choice. Anything that happened to her was to happen at my whim, and at my discretion." Her eyes hardened. "Not yours."

"You do not understand my position," Hiashi replied stiffly.

"You do not understand your duties," Hanabi corrected at once. "You gave up your right to decide Hinata's fate the instant you handed it to those outside of this clan. This has always been a matter for the Hyuuga. It was you who proclaimed her weak. It should have been you that settled this account. Instead, you left me with yet another burden. But one of them, I will lighten now."

Without warning, her hands raised, and Hiashi prepared himself for an attack.

But Hanabi only removed the headband, replacing it around her neck as she rose to leave.

"We will not see each other again," she murmured at the door, just before she shut it behind her.

Hiashi could only stare after her, even as a numbing sensation traveled up his spine and throughout his body. It was not quite pain, but it didn't need to be.

He would be dead within the week.

* * *

For some reason, Neji had assumed that Hanabi would want to leave the village after dark, when there would be less people to see them, and possibly try to stop them. But Hanabi had dismissed that idea immediately.

"Let them see us. Anyone foolish enough to stand in our path will be moved, one way or another."

Neji didn't dare argue with her. There was no doubt in his mind that Hanabi would readily attack anyone that kept her from reaching Hinata now. Certainly there were some people he desperately wished she wouldn't need to attack, but hopefully they would all be smart enough to stay out of the way.

Somehow, it didn't surprise him at all when they found a lone figure blocking the gates of the Hyuuga compound. What did surprise him was the person's identity.

Hanabi did not seem at all bothered, however, and Neji would soon realize why.

"Have you come to stop me, Ibiki-sensei?" she asked quietly.

Morino Ibiki smiled faintly, though on him it seemed more like a pained grimace. "No, Hyuuga. Call it a debriefing, if you want." He handed her a large manila envelope. "This came across my desk last night. Thought you might be interested."

Hanabi quickly scanned the contents of the envelope, which seemed to be a series of photos. Her eyes narrowed as she reached the last one.

Neji wanted to look, of course, but didn't. He assumed that this was ANBU business, although why one of them hadn't asked him to give them a few minutes alone was beyond him.

"Oniisan," Hanabi said abruptly, handing him one of the photos. "I am starting to think that this 'Uzumaki Curse' you spoke of may actually be real. This time, however, it has made our task somewhat simpler."

Neji slowly lowered his gaze to the photo, and only barely managed the willpower to keep himself from ripping it in half. The huge white dog sleeping in the shade of a tree was quite obviously Akamaru, the Leaf headband around his neck confirmed that much. But sitting next to the dog, stroking his side, was the last person Neji had expected to see, although it certainly explained the desert-like surroundings.

"Temari," Neji whispered angrily, gripping the photo even tighter. The only thing that stopped him from destroying it was Hanabi's hand gently closing around his wrist.

"You shouldn't run into any problems on your way out," Ibiki said. His eyes locked on Hanabi. "I know this is deeply personal for both of you, and that's fine. But don't let your feelings distort your abilities or your judgment. Remember that whatever you do, you live with for the rest of your lives."

Hanabi bowed politely. "Thank you, Ibiki-sensei. We will remember."

The older man shook his head slightly. "Somehow I doubt that, but a reminder never hurt anyone. You two look after each other, and settle your business quietly. And if you can avoid getting us dragged into another war with Suna, that would be a big help, too."

"You didn't mention that he was the one who trained you," Neji said as Ibiki walked away.

"It was not my place," Hanabi replied. "I assumed that if he wanted you to know, you would be told. Would it have made a difference?"

"Not really," he admitted. "Although... I wouldn't have worried quite as much."

"Oniisan..."

There was something in her voice that made Neji pause. She looked as if she desperately wanted to tell him something, but stopped herself for whatever reason. He decided to make it easier on her by changing the subject.

"We should go. It's a long journey to Suna, and-"

"Actually... there is one more task I must see to first," Hanabi interrupted. As an afterthought, she added, "You may wait for me here, if you wish."

"Why would I want to do that?" Neji asked.

"Because I am going to the home of Uzumaki Naruto," she answered.

* * *

Though Hanabi refused to explain why she wanted to speak to Naruto, Neji insisted on going with her. It wasn't as if Hanabi couldn't take care of herself, or that he didn't trust Naruto. The problem was that Neji trusted Naruto to treat Hanabi the same way he treated everyone else: with a marked lack of the proper respect due to someone of her status. It certainly didn't help matters that Naruto still blamed them at least partially for Hinata's leaving, while Neji just outright disliked Naruto. Hanabi had probably formed a similar opinion, her first memory of Naruto being his unconventional (not to mention scandalous) methods at the chuunin exam.

Neji simply had to accept that Hanabi had a valid reason for wanting to speak to Naruto now. Whatever the reason, it would have to be important enough to keep Naruto from slamming the door in their faces as soon as he saw them.

Fortunately, it wasn't even Naruto that answered the door at his home. And if Hanabi was at all surprised to find Haruno Sakura answering Naruto's door, she hid it much better than the pink-haired woman, who gaped at them for a few seconds before remembering her manners.

"I... can I help you with something?" Sakura asked uncertainly, as if she thought they might have come to the wrong apartment by accident.

"We need to speak to Naruto-san immediately," Hanabi replied.

Sakura opened her mouth, probably to ask if it was urgent, then caught the look on Neji's face and answered her own question. She turned around and shouted into apartment. "Naruto! You have some guests!"

"Can't they wait?" Naruto yelled back.

"No!" Sakura insisted, throwing a nervous glance over her shoulder at Neji. "They really, really can't! Just drop what you're doing and get out here right now!"

"Fine!"

A few seconds later, Naruto stomped into view, wearing only a scowl and an oversized orange towel tied around his waist. The instant he saw Neji, the blond came to an abrupt halt, then raced to the door, practically shoving Sakura out of his way.

"What the hell are you two-"

"You must realize that we would never visit you without an excellent reason, Naruto-san," Hanabi said calmly.

Naruto seemed to consider this, his gaze shifting back and forth between Neji and Hanabi rapidly. Finally, he backed up a step and crossed his arms over his chest. Unfortunately, this motion, in addition to the running he'd just done, caused his towel to loosen a bit too much.

Neji saw the towel begin to fall, and while his first instinct was to stop it from doing so, his arm suddenly snapping out towards Naruto would only be seen as an attack. So he did the next best thing and made an attempt to shield Hanabi from the sight by pushing her behind him. But Hanabi merely batted his arm away, and when he shot her a questioning look, he followed her gaze (rather reluctantly) back to Naruto's waist, only to find a hand had grabbed the towel before it could reveal anything.

And then he noticed the hand was a bit too small to be Naruto's.

For a terrifying moment, he actually thought Hanabi had hold of the towel. But the fact that Sakura's face was now crimson told him otherwise.

Amazingly, Naruto hadn't seemed to notice any of this.

"Do you have something to say to me or not?" he demanded, glaring at them expectantly.

"How important to you is the well-being of your adopted sister?" Hanabi asked.

Naruto blinked slowly, and Neji could see at once that he would take that the wrong way. Unless, of course, Hanabi had become more ruthless than he knew.

"Did... did you just threaten Temari?" Naruto asked in mild disbelief, a dangerous, protective edge to his voice.

"If you have some way of contacting her," Hanabi continued, ignoring his question, "I would strongly suggest that you warn her to stay out of affairs that are strictly Hyuuga Clan business. Otherwise, I could not guarantee her safety."

"What-" Naruto trailed off, his eyes widening in shock.

"This is not a threat, Naruto-san," Hanabi said softly. "Merely a warning. I felt I owed you both that much."

"Thank you," Sakura offered in a shaky voice. "Both of you."

Neji blinked at that; this hadn't been his idea. But he didn't feel the need to tell Sakura that, and neither did Hanabi, as she simply walked away without another word. He caught up with her quickly, trying to collect his thoughts. When they were far enough away, he could only ask, "Why warn him? What could you possibly owe Temari or Naruto?"

"Have you forgotten already, oniisan?" Hanabi murmured. "You are a jounin because of her. And before you disagree, surely you realize that passing such an exam is not always a matter of ability?"

That was true enough in his mind. By all rights, Neji should have passed the chuunin exam the first time he took it. No one but Naruto would have used such an underhanded technique, and if he hadn't, Neji was confident the outcome would have been different. He didn't really blame Naruto for using the methods available to him to defeat a clearly stronger opponent; Neji was far more upset with himself for falling for it.

"As for Naruto-san, I suspect this may not be the first time he has helped Hinata, intentionally or otherwise."

"You have proof of this?" Neji asked.

Hanabi shook her head. "Not so much. But any of Naruto-san's friends would help Hinata if he asked them to. Temari is just the first that we know of for certain. Based on his reaction, though, he had no idea that she was aiding Hinata."

Neji frowned thoughtfully. "Doesn't seem like the type of thing she'd need to keep from him."

"No. But you know how Naruto-san is. If he had any idea where Hinata was, he would probably go after her."

It took a moment for that to sink in. "But you just as good as told him that she's with Temari!" Neji protested.

"It doesn't make any difference," Hanabi answered calmly. "Either we will secure Hinata first, or Naruto-san will lead us straight to her. The only thing he can really do at this point is inadvertently help us."

* * *

True to Ibiki's word, the streets were empty as Neji and Hanabi approached. Neji, for one, was not surprised. Ibiki had always been the enforcer of the Triad, and it was his scarred face that people associated most with the punishment of Konoha's lawbreakers. Had Hinata ever returned on her own, and survived the attempt, it was him she would've been forced to deal with.

There were, however, some people brave and/or foolish enough to ignore even Ibiki's rulings, and two of them were waiting in plain view, just a few yards short of the gate.

Hanabi came to a stop as her teammates approached. "Kouji-kun, Konohamaru... why are you here?"

Konohamaru smiled at her. "We wanted to see you off, since we knew you wouldn't let us come with you. And we wanted to give you a parting gift. It's not much, but..."

She blinked as he held out a black sash of silk. In the center of it was a large Konoha leaf of the same milky lavender that made up Hanabi's eyes. Slowly, she raised her eyes to her friends, only now noticing that they wore similar black sashes: Kouji's leaf was a bright yellow, while Konohamaru's was his favorite color of bright blue.

"Since we can't be together, and haven't been in a long time," Konohamaru added softly, "we were hoping you would agree to wear it, so you'll remember us."

"For luck," Kouji chimed in.

Without a word, Hanabi reached out and took the sash, slipping it over her head so that it stretched from her shoulder to her waist. She ran her hand lightly over the leaf before looking up at them. "You do realize that this is completely unnecessary? I could never forget either of you."

"Then thank you for humoring us, Hanabi-chan," Konohamaru replied, grinning. He glanced at Kouji, and they immediately threw themselves to the ground, bowing repeatedly and chanting her name.

Hanabi scowled and swatted them both on their heads. "You are still children, even now."

"It wasn't like we could play a joke on you while you were working," Konohamaru pointed out, wincing a bit as he carefully poked the tender spot on his head.

For a moment, it looked as if Hanabi would hit him again, but that was when Kouji stepped forward and gently hugged her. "Come home soon, Hanabi-san," he murmured before letting go.

She still hadn't recovered from that surprise when Konohamaru seized her by the waist and briefly brushed his lips against the corner of Hanabi's mouth. "Don't die," he said simply, giving her a meaningful look as he moved aside to let her pass.

Neji was taking in the odd expression on Hanabi's face, and so he nearly missed the arrival of what he first assumed was another well-wisher. But then he sensed the familiar chakra, and turned to find Aburame Shino standing between them and the gate.

Neji's uneasiness had little to do with the fact that Shino was Hinata's only surviving teammate. There was a rumor that Shino had become tremendously powerful to make up for being the last member of Team 8, but having witnessed the insect user in action during the jounin exams a few years ago, Neji could safely say that it was no rumor. Shino had not only passed, he had thoroughly defeated everyone in his way. Neji had been glad that he'd passed his own exam a few years before, because if it had come down to he and Shino competing against each other, he wasn't positive that becoming a jounin was worth dying of poison the very next day.

"I thought I might find you here, Neji," Shino stated calmly. "I have something for you."

At the moment, Neji wasn't too worried about Shino attacking him. Even if Shino were stronger, there was no way he could defeat Hanabi at the same time. True, she was a chuunin, but Neji knew that was only because she'd just missed entering the last jounin exam by a few months.

"It's a confession, actually," Shino added. "I was the last one to see Hinata on the night she left. I knew what she was doing, and I could've stopped her, if I'd really wanted to. But I allowed her to go, because I trusted that she would survive, one way or another, and become something more."

Neji stared hard at Shino's face, but already knew that he'd told the truth. "Why tell us this now?"

"So that you understand I am interested in repaying a debt, when I request that you allow me to accompany you."

That was the last thing that Neji had been expecting, so it took him a few seconds to answer. "That makes no sense at all."

"By allowing Hinata to leave, I wronged your clan. This is the only way I can, and will, repay that grievance. If you refuse to accept my help, then I will not stop you, nor will I offer my aid again in the future." Shino glanced at Hanabi. "The choice is yours."

"How would you help us?" Hanabi asked. "I am more than capable of tracking Hinata."

"True," Shino agreed, "but I am more than capable of tracking anything, and everything."

Hanabi frowned slightly before turning to Neji. "I leave the decision in your hands, oniisan."

That put Neji in an awkward position. Shino was one of, if not the best tracker in Konoha. Assuming Hinata tried to run, they could end up regretting not bringing him along. Aside from that, Shino's presence might assure that Hinata didn't run. And if Neji had interpreted Shino's words correctly, he didn't want any bad blood with the Aburame Clan down the road.

"We will accept your offer, Shino," Neji answered. "But you must first agree that Hinata's fate is Hanabi's to decide."

Shino simply nodded. "I will look favorably on this day, should your clan request my aid again, Hanabi-san."

Hanabi nodded as well. "I am certain our pact will be mutually beneficial, Shino-san."

Neji couldn't help wondering how this would go over with the Hyuuga elders. For all their honor and power, the Aburame Clan… well, to put it simply, gave just about everyone the creeps on some level. Still, Shino would be an important ally once he and Hanabi were clan heads, and Neji would rather work with the bug users than against them.

For one thing, he wasn't sure that he could beat the new and improved Shino without being mortally wounded in the process.

What Neji did know for certain was that between the three of them, they would find Hinata soon enough.

**End of Part 5.**

* * *

Endnotes:

The details of Hanabi's ANBU career weren't something I wanted to get too descriptive with. As with most aspects of her life, they're meant to be shrouded in mystery. But I did feel a few things were necessary: her mentor (which tells you what division she was in for a time, and provides her with yet another influential connection), her new area, and the fact that her "talent" got out of hand at least once.

By now you're probably figuring out that the surviving members of Team 8 have undergone some rather significant changes (although I would like to think that Shino would've become a jounin regardless). And for the purposes of this story, you can assume that Shino is the Aburame heir. I understand the clans have their secrets, but that's no reason there can't be more allied clans.


	6. The Art of Blood Binding

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, I'm just playing with them for a while.

Notes: Unlike the previous chapters, this one takes place shortly after the corresponding chapter of White Dog Night, so you'll need to have read that first. Also, it's nearly as long as a chapter of WDN, so get comfortable (it's also why you had to wait a bit for this one).

**Hyuuga Secret Arts**

**Companion to White Dog Night**

**Part 6: The Art of Blood Binding**

**A Naruto Fic by**

**Nate Grey (XMAN0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

He'd started to feel useless by the third day.

Now, he still felt useless, but also stiff and a bit worried.

In short, Hyuuga Neji was in an extremely bad mood, although he felt quite justified about it. Both Hinata and Hanabi had been sleeping for just over a week, and despite Sakura's assurances that they just needed plenty of rest, Neji wished at least one of them would wake up so he could actually do something.

Admittedly, he still had no idea what he would do if Hinata woke up first, but that seemed very unlikely, anyway. Hanabi had instructed him to watch over the former Hyuuga, but beyond that, he was mostly on his own.

Even worse, he really was on his own until Hanabi woke up. The few times Neji had been forced to leave Hinata's bedside to check on Hanabi, he'd had to rely on Temari, of all people, to stand watch. She'd been very disagreeable about it, claiming she didn't want to leave Akamaru alone for too long. He was of the opinion that she was just being difficult, but was wise enough not to say so aloud. Asking Shino or anyone from Naruto's squad was simply out of the question.

And though he didn't like to admit it, a great deal of Neji's irritation was probably originating from all of Hinata's constant visitors being able to see the Cursed Seal exposed on his forehead. He understood why Hanabi had given his Leaf headband to Hinata, but knew that if Hanabi had been awake, she wouldn't have wanted him to cover his forehead just for the sake of covering it.

But then, Hanabi didn't have to ever worry about seeing that mark on her own forehead. She couldn't completely understand what it meant to be branded in this way by your own blood (though part of him was glad she would never suffer precisely in the way he had). He had to keep reminding himself that Hanabi's opinion was that someone like him should have no shame, that his strengths outnumbered and outweighed his weaknesses. She was proud to stand by his side, to speak his name, and to call him her brother.

He had nearly forgotten how important that was to him.

Hanabi was depending on him, and he would not fail her. It didn't matter how he felt about the matter anymore. What mattered was that Hinata still be here when Hanabi came to see her.

000000000000000

Hinata opened her eyes exactly two weeks after her battle with Hanabi. From the slightly panicked expression on her face, Neji guessed that she had no idea where she was. He was about to speak when she beat him to it.

"Akamaru? Where are you? I can't feel you anymore..."

That was rather unexpected, all things considered. If Neji remembered correctly, Akamaru was resting in Temari's room, which was just down the hall from them. Whatever connection Hinata had with the dog, it should have at least told her that he was close by.

"He's resting," Neji said quietly.

Hinata blinked and slowly turned her head to him. "Neji... I lost, then?" she whispered.

"I suppose you could look at it that way. However..."

She stared at him expectantly, a little confused.

"It might interest you to know that Hanabi has never pushed herself that far before. It is true, what she told you. Her will to have to you back was greater than your own. I suspect it was what she wanted most. So while you never had any real chance of defeating her, that is only because she needed you more than anything else in her life."

For several seconds, Hinata merely stared at him. Then she blinked and shook her head slightly. "But... I thought she came here to kill me?"

Neji sighed in disgust. "Only you would remind someone of that after you've been given a reprieve, Hinata. You really are a sad excuse for a shinobi."

Far from being upset, Hinata smiled faintly. "You haven't spoken to me like that in years. I missed it."

"Only you," he muttered under his breath, looking away.

"Where is my sister? I want to see her."

Neji snorted. "Have you forgotten so quickly? You are not Hyuuga anymore. You have no sister."

"Are you still so devoted to official labels, Neji?" she asked, almost sadly. "She probably never truly thought of me as her sister until I left. It doesn't matter what you or anyone else insists on calling it. She will always be my sister, even if I am the only one willing to say so."

"And I suppose you're going to tell me what I really am, too?"

"You don't need me to do that," Hinata replied with certainty. "You will always be Neji, to me and everyone else you know. But if this is how you would prefer it, then so be it. I'm too tired to argue."

That made him pause. "Still? Are you numb as well?"

She blinked, staring at him with dawning realization. "She's done this to you, too?"

He shook his head. "Never on such a grand scale. Hanabi went all out to ensure your defeat. I'm not even sure she was aware of how draining this would be on her."

"She... she's alright, isn't she?" Hinata asked worriedly.

Neji stared at her for a few seconds. "I think so," he replied at last. "She's been resting nearly as long as you have. I've never seen her sleep so deeply. It's almost unnerving."

"Shouldn't someone be with her? Why aren't you?"

Unfortunately, Neji knew far too well that Hinata wasn't suggesting this so she might have an opportunity to run. No, she was genuinely worried about Hanabi, and had probably forgotten about her own situation.

"Hanabi requested that I stay with you," Neji answered with a sigh.

Hinata frowned thoughtfully. "Then couldn't we go to her together?"

"If you are too weak to argue, then you are definitely too weak to walk."

"You could carry me," she murmured in a tiny voice.

Neji glared at her. "If Hanabi had wanted you near her while she was resting, you would both be in the same room. The only thing you could possibly do now is disturb her sleep, and I will not allow that."

"You still hate me, then?" Hinata asked quietly.

He sighed. "I never really hated you, Hinata, no matter how much I wanted you to think that. You just never cease to infuriate me."

She bit her lip uncertainly. "How is that any different from hating me?"

Somehow, he resisted the childish urge to inform her that she was infuriating him at that very moment. "It just is. Now stop talking. You need to rest. Hanabi will probably want to leave Suna the moment she wakes up."

"Leave?" Hinata asked nervously. "To go where?"

"Exactly where you think," Neji answered. "Although, we won't be able to leave right away. Shikamaru has to give his report to the Council before you can safely set foot anywhere near the village, and Temari has to be there as a representative of the Kazekage. But she refused to leave until you were well enough to sit with Akamaru. Sometimes I think she specializes in complicating our lives."

"She... infuriates you, too?" Hinata guessed.

"And then some. Her, I do hate," Neji replied flatly.

For some reason, that caused a smile to spread slowly across Hinata's face. Before Neji could ask what she was thinking, the door slammed open behind him.

"Hinata!" Naruto shouted as he barged in. "You've got to-" He stopped short upon coming face to face with Neji, and automatically started to bare his teeth when he finally noticed Hinata staring at him curiously.

"You can't enter a room without breaking something, can you, Uzumaki?" Neji asked sharply.

Naruto glared at him. "Guess not, Bright Eyes. And if you don't get your face out of mine, I'll make sure it's the next thing I break."

"Naruto-kun, you wanted something?" Hinata asked, trying her best to diffuse the situation.

"Uh, yeah," Naruto answered, peering around Neji. "We think something's wrong with Akamaru. Sakura's not a dog doctor, so she's just guessing. She says to tell you he's mostly healed up, but he's got a really faint pulse. You should be with him, in case... well, just in case."

"Oh," Hinata said softly, her voice trembling. "I see." She closed her eyes briefly, and then started to get out of the bed.

"You're too weak," Neji said at once, stepping in front of her.

"Even so, Akamaru needs me," she whispered.

"I won't allow it."

"We can walk around you, or over you," Naruto growled.

"Neji," Hinata pleaded. "There's no point in trying to protect me. If Akamaru dies, I'll follow him soon enough. We are bound. If you would have me live, I must be with him. My sister will understand."

"Look, if you're afraid to take your eyes off of Hinata, you can come with us," Naruto grumbled, stomping over to the bed and scooping up a startled Hinata, "but we are going, and you can't stop us. I'll make it easier for you. Would you rather Hanabi be mad at you for Hinata being in a different room, or for her being dead?"

There was no time to think about it as Naruto shoved past him, not that Neji needed to consider it at all. He sighed in frustration and followed them out of the room, wondering if Hanabi was taking her time waking up so she wouldn't have to deal with Naruto any more than was necessary.

000000000000000

Akamaru turned out to be quite popular, much to Neji's surprise. He'd expected Sakura, who was the closest thing they had to a veterinarian on hand, and Temari, since it was her room and she had a soft spot for the dog. He hadn't expected Shikamaru, Kankurou, or Shino to be there, and yet they all were. The women were the only ones actually attending to Akamaru, while the men mostly stood against the walls looking bored, uncomfortable, or completely unreadable, respectively.

The dog just seemed to be sleeping on the floor to Neji, and he honestly thought they were worrying over nothing, but decided not to say so aloud.

Sakura practically pounced on Hinata the moment Naruto put her down; apparently she didn't like taking stabs in the dark when it came to treating patients, and if anyone would've been an expert on Akamaru by now, it would have to be Hinata.

Oddly enough, the worry left Hinata's face after she got a good look at Akamaru. Without a word, she knelt beside him, formed a few hand seals that Neji recognized as some sort of henge, and placed one hand on Akamaru's neck.

The dog vanished in a large cloud of smoke, and when it parted, nearly everyone present was shocked to see a twelve year old Inuzuka Kiba staring back at them.

Well, that wasn't quite right. Kiba was only looking at Hinata, either because she was the closest, or she was the only one in the room that mattered to him.

"What's wrong, Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked far too easily; she'd clearly done this before. "Why wouldn't you let Akamaru wake up?"

"I warned you about that jutsu, didn't I?" Kiba said at once. "Told you not to use it unless you absolutely had to. I hope it was worth it, because you can't do it anymore, Hinata."

"It was," she assured him, "and you did warn me. But what does that have to do with-"

"Quiet," Kiba interrupted in what Neji thought was a rather rude manner. "I don't have much time. Akamaru will be back on his feet in a day or so. But that jutsu pushed the bond to its limit, and now it's starting to break down. Pretty soon all you'll have left is that comet of yours, so I hope you've got a plan. Even if he's with you, you're going to have to stand on your own two feet."

Hinata frowned slightly. "What aren't you telling me, Kiba-kun?"

He grunted uneasily. "Since the bond is weakening, you two will need every last bit of it for fighting as the jutsus start to fade. So this is the last time we'll be able to talk. And don't give me that pout, you're a grown woman and I've taught you better."

"But... what will I do about-"

"You'll figure it out." Kiba leaned forward and sniffed, his nose wrinkling slightly. "If you can't, just do whatever your owners tell you. That new collar's got their stink all over it."

Hinata's eyes widened as she looked down at the Leaf headband around her neck. Almost absently, she canceled the henge and lifted the headband to her nose. She blinked and slowly raised her eyes to Neji. "Why does this have two scents? One of them almost smells like-"

"Hanabi and I traded headbands the day she graduated from the Academy," Neji replied. "It was meant to symbolize our oath to each other. Before we left Konoha, she wanted to trade again. She said it was no longer necessary, and that we would make a new oath, to you. This is why I must protect you, Hinata. You are not Hyuuga anymore, but you are precious to Hanabi, and I would give my life to keep safe anything she holds dear."

"Even though I still infuriate you?" Hinata asked quietly.

Neji closed his eyes and smiled. "Even though. I gave Hanabi my word that no harm would come to you. So once again, it falls to me to guard your life. Only this time, you do not represent something I hate."

Shikamaru glanced between them curiously before finally turning to Temari. "Help me out here, you've been paying attention. They hate her when she's in the family, and once she's out, then they love her?"

"You're asking me for family advice?" Temari asked with a smirk. "Have you seen my family?"

He shrugged. "None of you ever ran away, at least."

"Think hard, Shikamaru. Have you ever seen anyone run from Gaara?"

"All the time."

"Uh huh. You remember how far they got?"

"Oh. Right."

000000000000000

Hanabi was having a most unusual dream. She was watching Neji and Sasuke Uchiha fight.

Except they were both kunoichi.

But that didn't make sense, because Hanabi was watching from a good distance away, and Neji was sitting right beside her. He was saying something about their eyes.

There was nothing too remarkable that Hanabi could see about their eyes. Both girls had the gifts of their respective clans, which was partially why she'd mistaken them for other people in the first place.

It was only after several minutes that warning signs began to pop up in Hanabi's head.

The girls actually seemed happy to be fighting one another, and despite the fierceness of their attacks, it all seemed more like a well-practiced dance, although that probably had more to do with the Uchiha girl's Sharingan than anything else.

Even odder, the Hyuuga girl was using no form of taijutsu that Hanabi had ever learned, although she had definitely seen it before. The girl seemed less concerned with targeting her opponent's chakra network, and more focused on hammering with blows that could (and did) shatter stone. In fact, the thick wrappings on her forearms seemed to suggest that she actually preferred to fight in that manner.

After a few minutes, the girls paused to catch their breath. They both seemed to get a signal from someone in the crowd, because each then discarded one article of clothing. For the Hyuuga girl, it was a pair of leg wrappings that obviously contained training weights, and for the Uchiha, it was the black cloak she'd been wearing the whole time.

The match continued for three of the longest minutes Hanabi had ever experienced. In that short time, she watched the Uchiha display what had to be the most varied and impressive array of jutsu she'd ever seen in a genin, period.

Amazingly enough, not one of them made a bit of difference. From the moment the Hyuuga girl removed her weights, she was in constant motion, though to most watching, she had simply ceased to exist beyond the series of blurs that the Uchiha was doing her best to hit. Spouts of flame missed their mark, loose debris and clones exploded before they could prove useful, and kunai were simply wasted on empty air.

In the end, the Uchiha girl exhausted all of her options and her chakra, and didn't even have the strength to admit defeat. She merely blacked out, falling forward into the waiting arms of her opponent, who carefully carried her to the waiting team of medic-nin.

But what really got Hanabi's attention was the way the Hyuuga girl chose to celebrate her victory. Instead of quiet dignity, she treated the audience to a brilliant smile and two forceful thumbs up.

000000000000000

Hanabi woke up to the somewhat disturbing sensation of something warm and wet flicking between her fingers. It was almost as if someone were actually licking her hand.

She opened her eyes and sat up in bed to find the truth was even worse.

Akamaru was licking her hand, and from the large, spreading puddle of drool on the floor, he'd been at it for quite some time.

Her first thought was to yank her hand away, but that would only get more drool on her, so it was with a rapidly dwindling amount of patience that Hanabi slowly drew her dripping fingers away from the dog's mouth.

Far from acting as if he'd done anything wrong, Akamaru merely sat there and watched her, his tongue still hanging out, as if she would let him continue at any given moment.

"Get out," Hanabi said simply, feeling rather foolish but completely justified. She'd seen Hinata talking to the dog, and Temari and Naruto as well, though that didn't necessarily mean anything. She was hoping her tone alone would tell Akamaru all he needed to know.

If the message was recieved, it was misinterpreted. Instead of leaving, Akamaru barked once, and then returned to staring at her.

At once, the door opened, and Hanabi was only slightly relieved to see Hinata hurrying into the room, with Neji right behind her.

"Why is he here?" Hanabi demanded before either of them could speak.

"I didn't want you to be alone," Hinata explained, a rather hopeful look on her face as she sat down on the bed.

Hanabi suppressed the urge to sigh in frustration as she turned to Neji. "I distinctly remember asking you to watch Hinata, oniisan. I assumed you understood I was referring to her dog as well."

"I understood you perfectly," Neji replied, looking quite uncomfortable. "I told her you wouldn't want to be disturbed. But..."

"Yes?"

Neji avoided her eyes. "I was threatened."

Hanabi's eyes narrowed. "By Hinata?"

"By everyone but her, including written notices from the Kazekage, the Aburame Clan, the Office of the Rokudaime Hokage, the United Medic-nin Association of Konoha, and something Uzumaki referred to as U.R.P., though I have my doubts as to its validity."

"Oh, it's real, Neji," Hinata assured him. "And at least halfway succesful, from what I understand."

"Hinata," Hanabi said in a warning tone. "You and your... associates are beginning to become a considerable annoyance to me."

"Really?" Hinata asked brightly. "Naruto-kun told me that good big sisters were supposed to do that from time to time. Temari seemed to think it should be a on daily basis, though."

"And where is she?"

"Gone," Neji answered, "with Shino and Shikamaru. They went ahead to prepare the Council for our arrival. Which unfortunately leaves us stranded here with Uzumaki for the time being. The Kazekage suggests we remain here, as his guests, until we hear from Konoha."

Hanabi sighed. "Please inform him that we will accept his hospitality for as long as it lasts, oniisan. I need to speak with Hinata privately for a moment."

Neji nodded, closing the door behind him as he left the room.

"You need to understand, Hinata, that for the time being, I am responsible for you. So I must insist that you do nothing without first consulting either myself or Neji. I realize this may not be pleasant for you, but I would prefer to take no further risks with such a delicate situation."

"I understand, Hanabi-chan," Hinata answered, bowing her head. "And... I'm sorry to hear about your recent loss."

"My... loss?" Hanabi asked slowly. "What are you referring to?"

"Your... father," Hinata replied hesitantly. "Sakura told me that he passed away. I... thought I should say something. Um... do you know if he suffered at all?"

Hanabi's expression darkened. "Not nearly enough."

Hinata could only stare at her. "Oh..."

Shaking her head slightly, Hanabi carefully rose from the bed. "I need to order my thoughts. I'll be going for a walk now. It's been a while, and-"

"I could come with you," Hinata offered quietly.

Hanabi considered that for a few seconds. "I would like that. Very much," she said at last, completely unprepared for the way Hinata's face lit up at her response.

"Akamaru, we're going for a walk!" Hinata said excitedly, grabbing Hanabi's hand and tugging her towards the door.

For a moment, Hanabi considered resisting, but when Akamaru's head bumped her from behind, she decided to go along with it, for now. Her body needed a chance to work off the stiffness after sleeping for so long, and she did need to keep Hinata close for a while. And, though she didn't like to admit it, part of her was simply looking forward to spending time with her sister again.

000000000000000

"You don't like my sister, do you?"

Neji kept his face blank as he stared at the Kazekage. "We have never really agreed on much of anything."

"Somehow," Gaara stated, turning away from him to gaze out of the window, "I find that hard to believe. You are very similar."

Ignoring the feeling that he'd just been insulted, Neji reminded himself of just who he was talking to. "I'm not sure I understand your meaning, Kazekage-sama."

"You are fiercely protective of what you view as belonging to you. When you determine that something you hold dear is being threatened, your first instinct is to fight, and there is no chance of reasoning with you in those times. Your life has been spent protecting and serving someone important to you. You almost have a need to guard that person at every given moment." Gaara paused and turned to face Neji again. "I believe that is why you dislike my sister. She reminds you far too much of yourself, and you recognize your own faults in her."

Neji couldn't think of a single way to respond to such an accusation without being offensive, so he said nothing at all.

"That is nothing to be ashamed of, though," Gaara continued. "Even the strongest shinobi sometimes require protection, if only from themselves. I don't doubt that you have saved Hanabi-san from herself more than once."

"That is... a very wise saying, Kazekage-sama," Neji said quietly.

At that, Gaara actually smiled, if only faintly. "Then you might thank my sister the next time you see her. She is the one who gave it to me. But I wonder... could you have saved Hanabi-san, if she did not have this reunion with Hinata to look forward to? What would the two of you have done if Hinata had died before you could find her?"

"I am not certain."

"Then be certain of this: Hinata is only alive because she is precious to Naruto. You also have my sister to thank for taking her in. I suggest you keep both of those facts in mind, the next time you address either of them."

000000000000000

It was ridiculously easy for Neji to track down Naruto: his chakra had always been distinctive if nothing else, and perhaps because there was so much of it, he tended to stick out quite a bit.

As it turned out, Naruto and Sakura had gone out to one of Suna's many training areas to work on chakra control. Neji found this amusing, because if there was one thing Naruto had always needed work on, it was control.

"You're overdoing it again, Naruto!" Sakura cried in disbelief as Neji crept closer, careful not to reveal himself just yet.

"I can't help it!" Naruto insisted. "I'm not used to using chakra this way!"

"That's because all you ever do is pump gobs of it into your jutsus or just throw it at people! This is about subtlety!"

"Why do I need to learn this, anyway? You're the medic-nin, and I can heal just fine on my own!"

Sakura angrily shook her head. "Because if I ever find myself on the brink of death, it'd be nice to know that I could at least count on you to keep me in stable condition without burning me! Now stop being a baby and try it again!"

Neji watched as Sakura formed a glowing, bright red ball of chakra between her hands, and with no warning at all, tossed it to Naruto.

Whatever Naruto was supposed to do with it, Neji was pretty sure he failed. He managed to juggle the ball between his hands for about three seconds before it promptly turned blue and exploded, knocking them both to the sand.

Sakura's face turned pale. "I'd yell at you if I weren't so afraid the same thing might happen to me one day."

"I told you handling other people's chakra was a bad idea," Naruto sighed. "Just controlling my own is a full-time job, Sakura-chan. And besides, when have I ever let anything really, really bad happen to you?"

"Well, never," Sakura admitted slowly, "but that could just be because we've been somewhat lucky so far. I wouldn't be pushing this if we were still taking missions with Temari, but with her gone, that's more pressure on me, and my chakra, to keep you in one piece. I would think you'd want to help me out with that, if for no other reason than you'd be doing all three of us a favor. One day I'll run out chakra at the worst possible time, and then what will you do?"

"Kill whoever put you that way," Naruto replied at once.

"While I'm lying there DYING?" Sakura shouted, punching him in the head.

"OW!" he yelled, grabbing his head. "Sakura-chan, that HURT!"

"GOOD!" she screamed at him.

Neji chose that moment to step into view. "If this is a bad time..."

Naruto grimaced, but said nothing.

"Oh... um, no, now's fine," Sakura said quickly, glancing at her silent teammate.

"The Kazekage informed me that Hinata is safe due largely to your actions, Uzumaki." Neji paused, determined to get the next part out quickly. "So... thank you, for looking after her while she was beyond our reach. I realize you didn't have to-"

"Don't be stupid," Naruto interrupted, rubbing his forehead absently as the swelling went down. "Of course I had to. I take care of everyone that matters to me."

Neji stared at him for a few seconds. "I see. I was surprised that you weren't more insistent to see Hinata while she was indisposed."

"Oh, that. Well, see, Sakura-chan told me to back off for a while. I didn't want to, but after what you said about protecting Hinata, I figured she wouldn't mind spending a little time with just you two, so..."

"Thank you," Neji said again, starting to feel a bit less uncomfortable. Only a bit less, though.

"It was no trouble," Sakura assured him. "Sometimes, you just need to be with your family. Right, Naruto?"

Neji waited for the look of discomfort to flash across Naruto's face, but surprisingly, it never came.

"Yeah," Naruto replied quietly, a small smile on his lips.

He was thinking about Temari, Neji realized with a start. Naruto actually made no distinction between their bond and that of a blood relative. That was why Temari had been so set on protecting Hinata, and why Gaara was willing to offer Hinata sanctuary in Suna. They were Naruto's family.

And really, that made them more like Hanabi and himself than Neji preferred to admit.

"I'll leave you to your training, Uzumaki," Neji murmured after a long moment, turning to walk away.

"Hey, wait!" Naruto shouted.

"Yes?" Neji asked, pausing to look over his shoulder.

"We've been getting on each other's nerves for a long time now. So we're not exactly strangers, right?"

That was true enough, though Neji wasn't sure why it was so important. "I suppose."

Naruto grinned at him. "So I won't call you 'Hyuuga' or 'Bright Eyes' if you stop calling me 'Uzumaki' and all those other nicknames. I figure we should work something out now before Hinata overhears us badmouthing each other. So do we have a deal, Neji?"

Neji nodded. "Very well... Naruto. For Hinata's sake."

"Great! Oh, and could you tell Hanabi-chan we're sorry for causing her so much trouble? We just wanted to make sure Hinata was taken care of."

"I am sure she knows that, but I will remind her," Neji agreed.

"And if she wants a ride home, I've got plenty of toads that-" Naruto began when Sakura suddenly elbowed him in the ribs. "OW! What'd I say?"

"Naruto," Sakura growled, "I'm pretty sure Hanabi doesn't want to ride one of your toads all the way back to Konoha!"

"But I was just being polite! They don't let just anybody ride them, you know! It's practically an honor!"

Neji cleared his throat to get their attention. "I will mention the offer to her, Naruto. But I can't promise that she'll be interested." He quickly hurried off as Sakura and Naruto began shouting at each other again. "Doesn't anyone collect normal friends anymore?" he muttered to himself. Instantly, an image of Lee popped into his head. "Never mind..."

000000000000000

"Are you sure you don't want to try it, Hanabi-chan?" Hinata asked for the third time. "It really is soothing."

Hanabi closed her eyes briefly. "No, Hinata. I have absolutely no desire to rub your dog's belly." She opened her eyes to stare mistrustfully at Akamaru from her seat on the edge of the dry fountain in Gaara's courtyard.

"But he's very sweet," Hinata insisted, grinning as Akamaru writhed happily under her hands. "And he does like you..."

"He drooled on me," Hanabi informed her, glaring at the dog accusingly.

"Exactly!"

Hanabi sighed. "Drooling on someone is not a sign of affection."

"It is when you could just as easily bite them," Hinata pointed out.

That made Hanabi feel completely justified about moving a few inches away from the dog. "You realize that is not as reassuring as you probably intended it to be."

"He would never bite you now, Hanabi-chan." Hinata reached over and placed a hand on Hanabi's knee. "He knows who you are to me."

Though it was meant to be a sisterly gesture, Hanabi couldn't help but remember where Hinata's hand had been just seconds before. Still, she thought knocking Hinata's hand away might be taken the wrong way.

"Tell me about you," Hinata said suddenly, moving to sit beside Hanabi on the fountain's edge. "I've missed so much, and I want to hear it all."

Hanabi was a little overwhelmed by the request. "Where should I begin?"

"Who was that bandaged boy with Shikamaru?"

"Kouji-kun. He is Shikamaru's cousin, and my teammate. He doesn't speak much, but he is a loyal friend."

"And Konohamaru?" Hinata asked with a smile.

Hanabi frowned at her. "Also my teammate, and a loyal friend, though nowhere near as quiet."

"He likes you, doesn't he?"

"Yes, but why would that matter?"

"It matters a lot, if you like him, too!"

At that point, Hanabi felt a change of subject was in order. "Konohamaru and I are an old issue. You and Naruto-san are not."

Hinata's face turned bright red. "Well, um, we haven't really had that much time to figure things out..."

"I see." Hanabi stood up, brushing some sand from her robes. "May I offer you some advice, Hinata?"

"Of course," Hinata replied at once, quickly getting to her feet as well.

Hanabi reached out and gently grasped Hinata's arm. "You will have the rest of your life to reconnect with me. There is no need to put your other relationships on hold for my sake. In fact, I would be extremely displeased if you did."

Hinata could only stare at her in wonder. "But... Hanabi-chan..."

"I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you. If your heart desires to be with Naruto-san, then be with him. If you should ever need me, I will be nearby."

"But... I thought you missed me?"

"I did," Hanabi admitted softly. "And I will. But we are no longer children, Hinata. You know I have certain duties to my clan, and I fear your being with me would only cause you more unnecessary pain. Once we reach Konoha, and you are released from my custody, you still will not be Hyuuga. That part of your life is over, and in a way, you were right to run from it. I do not think I could truly see you as my sister if you had stayed. So, assuming there are no complications, you will soon be a free woman."

Hinata's face fell. "A free woman... with a faithful dog, and no clan. It was different in the forest, when I could simply go where I wanted. But to have to live in Konoha again, with virtually nothing to my name... I won't even have a name, will I?"

"Not at first, no. But there are ways around such problems. You only need to know where to look."

Before Hinata could ask what Hanabi meant, she sensed a chilling presence behind her. She turned to see Gaara standing there, with his messenger bird Takamaru perched on his left shoulder.

"You are both free to return home," Gaara said, handing a sealed scroll to Hinata. "Just take Naruto with you. We only have so many training areas left."

Hanabi politely thanked Gaara, but Hinata was too busy tearing open the scroll to even remember that he was there. Contained in the scroll was a temporary pass that would allow her to enter Konoha and meet with something called "the Office of the Rokudaime Hokage," which was starting to sound a little strange, because why would one person be an office? There was also a list of people she might find lodging with, and sure enough, Naruto and Sakura appeared near the top. Surprisingly, so did both of Neji's teammates, and the entire Nara Clan. The rest of the list was essentially a collection of people Hinata had ever exchanged even a single kind word with, though there some she had to assume that either Hanabi, Neji, or Naruto knew.

Taking a deep breath, Hinata raised her head and smiled at Gaara. "Thank you for all your kindness, Kazekage-sama. I have enjoyed my stay in your home."

Gaara simply nodded. "Temari will await your arrival, and see to it that you are treated fairly."

Hinata felt she should do something more to show her appreciation, but she wasn't sure how Gaara would react to an attempt to hug him, or even touch him at all.

Not that any of that mattered, since Naruto soon walked up and slung his arm around Gaara's shoulders.

"See, Hinata? Didn't I tell you Gaara was a great guy deep down?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, you did, Naruto-kun," Hinata agreed nervously, noticing the way Gaara's empty gaze slowly moved to the hand, and then to its owner.

"Naruto-san," Hanabi said quietly. "May I speak to you in private? It concerns Konohamaru."

"Uh, okay," Naruto replied slowly. He released Gaara and followed Hanabi as she moved away from them.

The instant they were out of earshot, Gaara leaned forward slightly. "You are taking him with you?"

"I assumed as much," Hinata answered. "But... I thought you were friends?"

"Naruto is... my closest friend," Gaara admitted. "But it is difficult to command the respect worthy of a Kazekage with him around. He only knows how to treat me as an equal. It is an endearing, yet annoying trait he will always have. I cannot expect him to change, so I can only ask that his visits be brief, and infrequent." He paused. "My family seems to insist on growing despite my best efforts, but from now on, you will have a place in it, Hinata. I hope that the next time we meet, your situation has changed for the better."

Before Hinata could thank him, Gaara had vanished, leaving only a slight breeze in his wake. She smiled and turned to Akamaru. "I think I'm finally going home, Akamaru. If you don't want to, you don't have to stay with me. You're free to go, whenever you-"

Akamaru merely pressed his nose against her cheek.

A strange sensation passed through Hinata's body, and she heard a familiar voice say in her ear, _"Stop doing that. I won't leave you."_

It was Kiba's voice, and yet, it wasn't. Hinata slowly reached up to stroke Akamaru's neck. "Did you... just talk to me, Akamaru?"

_"Yes, but only because I'm tired of you trying to let me go. When are you going to realize that I've chosen you? The day I leave you is the day I die."_

"But the bond. Kiba-kun said-"

_"He said the bond between the three of us was breaking, and it is. But once it's gone, there will still be two of us. You can't get rid of me. I intend to watch over your children one day. Yes, I know it could be a while, which is exactly my point. I've walked with you for ten years, and I'm not about to stop anytime soon."_

"You'll really stay with me, Akamaru? Just because you want to?" Hinata asked.

_"What other reason do I need?"_ Akamaru licked her face once. _"Now, let's go find your sister. I like the way her fingers taste."_

**End of Part 6.**

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Endnotes:

The henge Hinata uses is a variant of Kiba's Jujin Bunshin (Beast Human Clone). I say variant only because Kiba isn't the one performing it, though he's still the end result. As for why Kiba's still young, that's how Hinata remembers him.

In case you're wondering, those two girls in Hanabi's dream are original characters, so don't bother trying to look them up anywhere. Don't worry, you'll meet them eventually.

Naruto's body can heal itself rapidly, but I have yet to see any instance of him healing someone else. I suspect this is only because he doesn't have the necessary training to do so, where someone like Sakura does. And yes, I realize chakra has to be quite powerful to be visible.

I really do think Naruto approaches most people he encounters as equals. Of course, being called "outcast" all of his life, he thinks nothing of calling someone "old man" or things like that, since it's what he knows. In other words, he tends to completely ignore when someone close to him obtains a higher level of respect, and treats them exactly the same as he did before.

Since Akamaru is used to taking the shape of Kiba, and apparently one other Inuzuka dog is capable of speech, I figure if Akamaru could speak at all, he'd sound a lot like Kiba. But it always looks weird to me when dogs actually talk in movies (by that I mean when their mouths synch up with the voice actors), I figure it's more fitting that he can only communicate mentally with Hinata.


	7. The Art of Remembrance

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; I know that, you know that, everyone knows that, but apparently it's still not obvious.

Notes: I don't know if my views on the positions of clan head and clan elder are canon, but I like to think they're at least realistic, as far as the Hyuuga Clan being followers of the "old ways" is concerned. In short, since Hanabi is both young (for a clan head) and female, I don't think they're going to just instantly dump all that power in her lap.

**Hyuuga Secret Arts**

**Companion to "White Dog Night"**

**Part 7: The Art of Remembrance**

**A Naruto Ficlet by**

**Nate Grey (XMAN0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

Hyuuga Neji had definitely had his fill of women for the day.

Tenten still wasn't talking to him, nor had he made any real attempt to speak with her in the past week. Honestly, he thought she was being a bit more stubborn than usual. His loyalty to his clan (or at least, to Hanabi) came before all things. The sooner Tenten understood and accepted that, the sooner they could get on with their lives.

Although, it wasn't as if Hanabi was pleased with him at the moment, either. Far from it, in fact. Neji was still reeling from their last conversation, and if the looks he was getting from random villagers were any indicator, her bright red handprint was still decorating the side of his face.

He couldn't believe that Hanabi had struck him.

She'd done so before, of course, but only in the name of sparring. This was the only time she'd hit him out of pure frustration, and nothing more. The idea that Hanabi was mad at him had hurt more than the actual slap, and Neji knew that if she had intended to seriously hurt him, he would be seriously hurt.

Even worse, he was starting to think that both of the women had valid points, and beyond that, both points were directly related.

Hanabi would remain upset until he worked things out with Tenten.

Tenten would remain upset... well, until he worked things out with her.

That, however, was not so easily accomplished, even under normal circumstances. And with the added pressure of Hanabi breathing down his neck, Neji felt trapped. It wasn't as if he didn't want to be with Tenten. It was just that, mad as she already was, he didn't want to make up with her, only to immediately anger her all over again.

And he was pretty sure she would be furious, one way or another. Either it would seem like he was just being stubborn, or it would seem like he was only using her to get something he wanted. Neither was accurate; Neji was only trying to be cautious.

Unfortunately, there just didn't seem to be a right way to tell Tenten that he needed her pregnant as soon as was humanly possible.

* * *

Hanabi was in a very bad mood. This was not exactly new to her, as she was fairly accustomed to most people displeasing her for a wide variety of reasons. She had extremely high standards, after all.

She was not accustomed to Neji being one of those people, however. It seemed as if he had chosen the worst possible time to prove himself unreliable, and she'd lost her patience with him. She regretted striking him, but she hadn't apologized for it, and had no intention of doing so.

Some things were just more important.

The "situation" with he and Tenten was now, in Hanabi's eyes, more of a crisis. And since Neji hadn't seemed to be making any progress, she'd questioned him about it.

His answers, or lack thereof, had been most unsettling. And to show him just how much they'd bothered her, she'd hit him.

He had clearly been shocked, to the point where it hadn't even occurred to him to be angry, not even long after they'd finished speaking. He could only think to ask why.

"You promised, onii-san," she'd whispered, disappointment dripping from every word. "You promised to support me in this."

"I've kept all my promises to you!" he'd insisted.

"And what good are any of those oaths, if you do not provide me with a proper heir?"

The magnitude of her words actually sent him to his knees. He'd stayed that way for several seconds, staring up at her in complete disbelief.

Hanabi hadn't wanted to deliver the news in that way. She had always intended to tell Neji and Tenten together, but things had just seemed so hopeless, and she'd had to give him some major incentive to patch things up quickly.

This was to be her gift to Neji, her way of thanking him for years of service, to both her and the Hyuuga Clan. In all honesty, there was no greater honor she could bestow upon him than naming his firstborn child the heir of the Hyuuga Clan.

Well, except taking Neji for her husband and bearing the heir herself, but Hanabi had ruled out that idea as soon as the elders proposed it to her. Admittedly, the thought had crossed her mind in the past, but it wasn't worth the multiple heartbreaks it would undoubtedly cause now. It was bad enough that she'd have to remain unmarried and childless for the rest of her life, and to trap Neji in a loveless union when they both loved other people was no way to repay his loyalty to her.

But that all depended on Neji having a child in the first place, and that meant his getting back in Tenten's good graces very, very quickly. If Hanabi didn't name an heir soon after she came to power, the elders would begin pressuring her relentlessly, either to marry Konohamaru, Neji, or a "suitable" male within the clan (never mind that Neji was only Hyuuga she would ever consider marrying at all). And while Hanabi could have a child herself, she just couldn't risk it, ever. If her plans were to succeed, she couldn't have the elders strip the title of heir from Neji's child and force it onto her own.

Even Hinata had done her best to help out, promising not to aggravate the elders by having a child before Neji and Tenten did. Hanabi only loved her more for it, but she had no intention of making Hinata and Naruto pay for her problems, not when they technically had no connection to the Hyuuga Clan.

No matter how Neji was feeling right now, Hanabi knew he would come to his senses soon enough. He had never let his personal troubles stand in the way of his duty to her, and Tenten was too important to him to lose over a petty argument. They would work things out, and Hanabi would have her heir.

There simply was no other possible outcome in her mind.

* * *

Someone was in the bedroom with her.

Any other kunoichi might have been alarmed at the very least. Tenten was not. Having lived alone for years now, and far too used to depending on her own ability to defend herself, an intruder in her home just did not inspire fear in her anymore. Alertness, and perhaps anger at the audacity, but nothing else.

There were really only three things the man could be seeking: her life, her property, or her body.

He would be sorely disappointed on all three counts, and if he was lucky, he might crawl away with only an instant castration for his troubles. Frankly, she kept several weapons with sharp blades within arm's reach of the bed for that very purpose, although to date, simply the threat of carrying out the act had scared off even the most battle-hardened of intruders.

But this did not mean that Tenten was incapable of such cruelty. Men in particular had never been her favorite group of people, and the only ones she ever really excused of thoughtless words and actions were Neji and Naruto. Neji had come from an environment where feelings got stepped on all the time, and Naruto was practically self-raised, so she couldn't really blame either of them for the way they had turned out. The fact remained that both of them knew better than to cross her, and that included walking into her home uninvited.

So she was more than a little startled when she flipped on the lights, only to find Neji staring at her with a blank look on his face.

"Neji! Do you know what I almost did to you?" Tenten growled at him, dropping the axe she'd been gripping behind her back.

"It wouldn't matter. My life is over," Neji whispered, not even really seeing her as he sat down on the edge of her bed and buried his face in his hands.

Sighing, Tenten slid the axe back under the bed with her foot before giving him her full attention. "You know, we're still fighting. You're not really allowed to come in here and be miserable, and especially not when I was trying to sleep." When that got no reaction, she scowled and poked his shoulder. "Are you even listening to me?"

"I thought I had done everything Hanabi expected of me. How could I have known?" he muttered.

Tenten sat down beside him. "Is there any woman in your life that you didn't piss off? Next you'll be telling me that Hinata, of all people, is mad at you, too. And Temari... well, she's always hated you, but you see where I'm going with this."

Neji slowly raised his head and looked at her for the first time. "If I had known this day would come... if I'd had any idea... you would have been my queen from the start, Tenten..."

Tenten would never admit it, but Neji was starting to scare her. She'd never seen him so broken up about anything, and he had never really been what anyone would call romantic. He'd certainly never admitted to regretting any of his choices in how he treated her. She had no idea what Hanabi had said to him, but whatever it was, Tenten had a feeling that neither of them would sleep tonight until they talked about it.

"Yeah, you can worship me later. What did Hanabi say to you?"

Neji closed his eyes and lowered his head. "She told me... my firstborn child is to be the heir... but-"

"And this is a bad thing how?" Tenten blurted out. "You've always wanted something like that, haven't you? So what's so horrible about-"

"I would never... I could never dare to... Tenten, it isn't right to ask that of any woman. So how could I even begin to ask you-"

"You'd damn well better be asking me, and no one else!" she snapped, glaring at him.

Neji blinked, certain he'd heard wrong. "But... today you wouldn't even speak to me, so why-"

She rolled her eyes. "Neji, we were FIGHTING. If I'd said anything to you, you wouldn't have wanted to hear it. But this is different." Tenten's voice softened. "This is... more important. To both of us."

"How can I ask you to give me a child?" Neji whispered. "When I haven't..."

"Easy," Tenten replied with a smirk. "You tell me you're stupid, and then you ask me to marry you, so in the future when you're being stupid, I'll be right there to knock some sense into you."

"You... you would still become my wife?" he asked in disbelief. "Even though I've pushed you aside for all this time?"

"You pushed me aside, not threw me away. And I knew why you had to. I would've done the same thing. Maybe. But it doesn't change the fact that I've loved you since we were genin, and I told you I could wait. Well, now the waiting pays off, and everybody wins."

"They do?"

"Yes." Tenten moved past him, making sure he hadn't left the window open when he came in. "Hanabi gets her heir. You get a child to loosen you up. And I get to have a child with the man I love. It doesn't get much better than that."

"And you're willing to forgive everything I've done to you? Just like that?"

She closed her eyes briefly before turning away from the window to face him. "We're shinobi, Neji. Life is already way too short for us to waste time holding grudges. So if I say I forgive you for being... well, you... then just accept it and keep your mouth shut before you screw it up again."

Naturally, the fool actually opened his mouth to say something else.

"One more word and I'll throw you out. Through the window. While it's still shut."

Neji closed his mouth.

"Good boy." Tenten patted him on the head as she walked to the light switch. "I assume Hanabi put something of a rush order on this baby thing, and that's why you're all nervous?"

He was watching her closely now. "Something like that."

"Then I guess, as a favor to the future Auntie Hanabi, we can move a little faster than we normally would. But I should warn you."

"About what?"

"I have been waiting for this for a long, long, long time. And you look like you've depressed yourself to the point where you can't handle anything too strenuous."

"What are you saying, Tenten?"

"I'm saying, for once in your life, just sit back and let me be the boss. You should probably get used to that now, anyway, since we're going to be married."

Neji's eyes narrowed. "I haven't exactly asked you yet, you know."

"I know," Tenten replied, smiling wickedly as she reached for the light switch. "But I think before the night is done, you'll be begging me to marry you. Or at least, not to stop."

There were a number of things Neji could have said to that, but he didn't. Because in the next moment, the lights were off again, and all the thinking on his part pretty much ended right then and there.

* * *

"I was raised to serve the old ways, and for a time, there was nothing else that I wanted or needed."

Hanabi spoke softly, but her voice easily reached every ear in the room.

"And then I observed that those who did not serve the old ways seemed happier, more satisfied, even content in their lives. And I wondered why there was such a huge difference in how we each lived."

Her gaze landed on Konohamaru, who smiled and nodded slightly.

"I thought the old ways were best. So I served them faithfully, and in return, they tore my family apart. They cost me my sister, and then my father. And in the process, I learned that the old ways are just that: old ways. To live by them, in a new and constantly changing world, is neither wise nor practical. And we, who think ourselves of the sun, have hidden in the shadows of our own greatness for too long."

She could hear the murmurs, and none of them were of approval. It didn't matter. She had to continue, for her own sake, and for the survival of her clan.

"I ask you, my cherished kinsmen, why are only some of us called upon to protect the secrets of our success? Are we not all blessed with the Byakugan? Is it therefore not the responsibility of each and every one of us to guard its power with our lives? You know what can happen, should it ever fall into enemy hands. That is a fate we should all strive to prevent, is it not?"

The voices were no longer all against her. On some level, they all agreed, but all were not willing to say so just yet.

"Our power has been halved, and by our very own hands. Why? Are we not all Hyuuga? Is any number of us really not expected to bring fame and glory to our clan? How can we do this if we are too busy fighting amongst ourselves? We are our own greatest enemies, and no one seems to realize it. You have all seen the heights I have reached, and you have praised me for them. Would you take back your praise, if you learned that at an early age, I was personally trained by a member of the branch house? There is power and genius there, if you would only open your eyes."

The disapproval was even louder now, but Hanabi refused to stop.

"The choice is no longer ours to make. Our clan is dying from within. These are dangerous times, and nothing is assured. I have recently been made aware that I can never bear children. But I will not let our clan die. The Hyuuga will live on, and so once again, I turn to the one who taught me the most important lessons, and ask him step forward, not for myself, but for our entire clan, branch house and main house alike. Take your rightful place beside me, onii-san."

She did not have to look to know that Neji was beside her now. She could feel his strength as he supported her in silence.

"Hyuuga Neji will deliver the next heir of the Hyuuga Clan. He will ensure that we never die... just as I will ensure that we do not fall on our own swords. There will be no more branch and main houses. There will only be Hyuuga from this day forward, and we will be stronger because of it. If you insist on denying that, then remember that it was the branch house that propelled me to greatness, and that the branch house will step forward to aid our entire clan once again. We should all be so lucky, to be called upon to serve the Hyuuga Clan. That is an honor that we should all be familiar with, and instead we delegate it to those who are supposedly unworthy. Yet there is not a single member of the main house that has ever bested Neji in combat. Imagine, that if he could be so formidable, what other treasures might we have overlooked because we were too blind and proud? I beg you, my kinsmen, to step back and look around this village. The Uchiha have fallen into ruin and shame. Do not assume we might never reach a similar fate. We were once one and the same, and they fell to one of their own. It is time we stopped planting the seeds of our own destruction, and started raising the promising buds waiting to blossom."

The rest of meeting passed quickly, and as Shino stepped forward to outline the alliance proposal, Hanabi suppressed her pain as best she could.

She had almost faltered when announcing that she was barren. Not because it was a lie, but because she'd seen the expression on Konohamaru's face. She had not discussed her speech with him beforehand, but they both knew that was something she would've told him, if it were true. He clearly didn't like the idea of people thinking Hanabi couldn't bear children, but it was necessary. It was perhaps the only thing that would earn Hanabi any sympathy with the elders, and she would need that to make changes on such a grand scale.

When the meeting was over, Hanabi carefully observed people as they left. Some, at least, were considering all that had been said, and that was what she'd been hoping for. She hadn't expected to get her way within a single day, so this was progress.

"You did not tell me that your gift would come at so high a cost, Hanabi."

She turned to see Neji glaring down at her. "It is a price I am willing to pay, onii-san. I will not allow you to reject my gift."

"I realize that. But-"

Hanabi turned away from him. "I made an oath to remember you, onii-san. And so I am. There is nothing more to say on the matter."

"There is." His hand touched her shoulder hesitantly, and then squeezed firmly. "Thank you, Hanabi."

"I have given you nothing that you didn't already deserve."

"And yet there is a great difference between deserving something, and actually having it." He squeezed her shoulder again. "Tenten has invited you to her home for dinner, and Konohamaru as well. Will you come?"

She paused before answering. "Yes. I do not feel like being alone this day."

* * *

Tenten had never spent much time around Hanabi. Neji seemed to always keep them apart, probably because it was his duties to Hanabi that had kept him away from Tenten so often. But she didn't hold that against him or Hanabi. Family was important, and doubly so in a noble clan like the Hyuuga. In the sense that you did what family told you to, anyway.

But overall, Hanabi had never struck Tenten as a bad person. In fact, she admired Hanabi for her strength and courage. ANBU didn't accept weaklings, and they had chosen Hanabi. Neji didn't respect just anyone, but he respected Hanabi. Anko sure as hell didn't put up with people unless she thought they were worth the time, and Tenten had seen with her own eyes that Anko would cut any business short if Hanabi walked into the office.

There was something in the way nearly everyone reacted to Hanabi, whether they knew her personally or not. Tenten thought of it as an aura of power, that both kept people at a distance and demanded their respect. People were the same way around Neji, but since even he deferred to Hanabi, her aura was greater.

For all that, they were still human, and Tenten could see those sides of them better than most. Neji had his moments of extreme insecurity and doubt, during which he would only confide in Tenten. And as she watched Hanabi throughout dinner that night, Tenten could see that the future Hyuuga clan head was not without her own weaknesses. Hanabi barely said two words the whole time, and Konohamaru kept throwing uneasy glances at her. Neji was less noticeable, but he too was clearly concerned about Hanabi. And there was a certain emptiness in Hanabi's eyes that Tenten had never seen before, although she could guess why that was.

No one at the table was actually going to ask Hanabi if anything was bothering her, though; they all knew better. So Neji led the bulk of the conversation that night, explaining the Hyuuga-Aburame alliance proposal in more detail. Konohamaru had been too distracted to hear the major points at the meeting, and Tenten hadn't been there at all, so she had plenty of questions. While she was mostly doing this to keep attention off of Hanabi, Tenten had to admit that the proposal was composed of some groundbreaking and ingenious ideas, including an exchange of exclusive techniques (Hinata could already communicate with Shino's insects, and Shino, unbeknownst to nearly everyone, had been able to coordinate his insects to move in a way that almost perfectly mimicked the Hands of Hakke for some time now) and security personnel. There was even talk of lining the Hyuuga compound with hedges that would house hundreds of insects, which could easily do the work that the branch house had formerly been forced to perform. Even better, the Aburame as a whole saw no real distinction between the main and branch Hyuuga, though if anything, the branch house was made up of those Hyuuga more accustomed to working harder.

Hanabi took no interest in any of the conversation, however, and mostly sat there, not even pretending to listen. Neji had assured Tenten that Hanabi had wanted to be here tonight, so that wasn't the problem. Truthfully, Tenten had been hoping they could talk about this heir business, in case there were things she needed to know. But it no longer seemed like a good idea.

Once dinner was done, Tenten jokingly suggested that the men clean up while the women sat around and talked. Neji didn't think it was funny at all, and Konohamaru only managed a weak laugh. Then they noticed that Tenten wasn't smiling anymore, and began to suspect that she might actually be serious. She finally had to drag Hanabi out of the room before the message became clear, and even then Tenten wouldn't have been surprised if she returned an hour later to find them still sitting there, gaping stupidly at each other.

"I hope you realize I'm going to need your help," Tenten said quietly as she led Hanabi to the couch. "Pregnancy tends to complicate things."

"The resources of the Hyuuga Clan will be at your dispos-"

"No, I said YOUR help," Tenten corrected. "Suppose I get sick of Neji at two in the morning, and I need a place to escape to." She looked pointedly at Hanabi so that her meaning would be clear.

Hanabi blinked twice. "You would of course be welcome-"

"Great, that's what I wanted to hear. You can come with me when I have my appointments with Tsunade-sama."

"I don't think-" Hanabi began.

Tenten beamed at her. "Let me rephrase that: you should and will come with me."

There was a long moment of silence, in which the two women stared intently at each other.

Finally, Hanabi cleared her throat. "I am not what you would call... experienced at this sort of thing."

"And you think I am?" Tenten snorted with a laugh. "It doesn't matter. I'd want you around even if you had no clue what you were doing."

Hanabi was staring at her again. "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Tenten asked. When no response came, she sighed loudly, and reached over to place her hand on Hanabi's. "It'll be your baby, too."

The change in Hanabi was instant, and Tenten practically had to crush Hanabi's hand to keep it from being forcefully withdrawn. As it was, she was very nearly straddling Hanabi to keep her on the couch.

"Hanabi, do you have any idea how silly you're being?" Tenten demanded.

The look Hanabi replied with was what Tenten had come to think of as her 'ANBU look.' It was the one that said, quite plainly, "Because of that, you're about to die, and even if you're too stupid to know that, you should probably stop doing the stupid thing that's going to get you killed, anyway."

"Let's get one thing straight right now, Hanabi. My child is going to be loved, whether it becomes your heir or not. And if you want anything to do with that child, you will treat it as a child first, and your heir second. When my child speaks of you, it is not going to say, 'Who's that mean lady that never wants to play with me?' Instead, it's going to say, 'Mama, can we go see Auntie Hanabi today?' Because you will love my child, Hanabi, as if it were your own. As far as you should be concerned, it is your child. You demanded it, after all."

To this, Hanabi said nothing.

"You can't sit there and honestly tell me that you won't love Neji's child with everything that you are."

"I already told you," Hanabi reminded her with a frown, "I don't know how I would act."

"I do, since you just announced that you'll never have a child," Tenten replied sharply. "You'll never need a reason to spend time with my child, Hanabi, other than simply wanting to. But that's only if I know for sure that it's love first and duty second."

* * *

Konohamaru wanted to say something, but he didn't dare.

Hanabi was seated on her bed, her knees drawn up to her chest as she stared out of the window. She hadn't said anything since they'd left Tenten's house. She had, however, allowed him to hold her hand on the walk back, which was a rare occurrence in public, even as late as it had been. Even when she'd invited him into her bedroom, he had correctly assumed that she was in no mood for lovemaking. It was his mere presence that she desired, and he'd never minded that.

"Can I truly love a child that is not my own?" she asked softly.

"It's easier than you think," Konohamaru replied. "I don't think you need to worry about that."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Hanabi-chan, you love Hinata and Neji. You'll learn to love the people they chose, and you'll love the children they have together. It's not complicated at all. I've been around babies before, and they're mostly all the same."

"What are they like?"

"Wrinkly, smelly, and loud half the time; soft, cute, and precious the other half. And get that look off of your face, because at some point you're going to end up holding one."

Hanabi stared at him.

"You will, even if you don't want to. Tenten will probably insist, and I know Hinata will. But I think you'll want to, eventually. You've got these... instincts, I guess. You know Kurenai oba-san and I didn't really like each other when she first married Asuma oji-san. But one day I got hurt, and she sat with me in the hospital until they let me go home. She never said anything, barely even looked at me, but that's when I knew she cared about me. You'll find a way to let Tenten's child know you care, too."

"Tenten's daughter," Hanabi whispered, as if correcting him.

"What? But... you mean... you guys can SEE that already?"

She shot him an irritated look. "I know, Konohamaru."

He blinked. "Oh. Did you tell her?"

"No. She'd want to know how I knew, and then I'd have to tell her that."

"Uh... how DO you know?" he couldn't help asking.

"It only matters that I know, and I trust the source."

Konohamaru sat down next to her on the bed. "And you can't convince yourself that you'll love a little girl, Hanabi-chan?"

"It's a valid concern," she argued.

He shook his head. "You know it would break Hinata's heart if she thought you felt that way when she has kids."

"That's different. Tenten isn't my sister."

"And isn't Neji your brother? You can't... be this way, Hanabi-chan. Do you know what it would do to a child, to find out that someone they love doesn't love them back?"

"I know exactly what it would do," Hanabi whispered.

"Even more reason not to do it yourself. You wouldn't hurt Neji's daughter that way, would you?"

"I wouldn't want to."

"Then don't! It's not a hard decision. She can... she could be ours, too. Tenten said so, right? So it wouldn't be weird or anything. She'd understand."

"But what if-"

Konohamaru leaned forward and silenced her with a kiss. "Love always finds a way, Hanabi-chan. I wouldn't be with you if I didn't believe that."

Hanabi took a deep breath. "And... you really think I can do this?"

He chuckled and drew her into his arms. "Tell me what you know about this girl you're so worried about."

"She'll be very strong. And fast... faster than I was. She'll love people easily, without hesitation. And... she'll have a blinding smile."

Konohamaru considered that for a moment. "You know... don't we know someone like that already? Especially that 'blinding smile' part... it's really familiar. I feel like I should know this!"

* * *

Tenten was nearly sound asleep when her bedroom door was kicked in. She didn't get out of bed, though, remembering to protect her modesty. Neji, on the other hand, was more concerned about the intruder than his nakedness, so he leaped up, only to be greeted with the last sight that he expected.

"YES, MY TEAMMATES! LET THE POWER AND PASSION OF YOUR YOUTH EXPLODE!!!"

"Lee, GET OUT!"

Tenten covered her face with a pillow. "Who told him?!"

"No one, Tenten!" Lee laughed heartily. "I sensed that you two had finally come together, uniting your respective, raging energies into one burning fireball of-"

Neji hit Lee with the nearest available weapon... which, in Tenten's bedroom, could very well have been anything from a sword to a flamethrower. In this case, it was a pillow.

"HA HA! Neji, I see that you still BURN with youthful-"

"I'll show you burning-"

Tenten cleared her throat. "Um, Neji?" she squeaked. "I think he means you're still... excited."

Neji glanced back at her in confusion.

She tossed her pillow to him, just as Sakura appeared in the doorway.

"Guys, I am SO sorry! We were just sitting there when Lee bolted out of the house, screaming about fireballs and-" Sakura trailed off as her eyes widened. "And... balls... oh, my..."

Lee nodded appreciatively. "Impressive, is he not, Sakura?"

"Okay, everybody STOP ADMIRING MY NEJI'S PACKAGE!" Tenten yelled.

Sakura looked a little faint, but she still managed a weak smile. "Um, sorry. This'll stay between us, of course, so no need to-"

The window shattered, and Tenten drew the sheets over her head as Temari and Naruto dove into the room, rolling along the floor and coming to a stop at the foot of the bed.

And Neji, thinking they were under attack, turned to face the new threat. He had to drop the pillow to properly prepare himself, though.

"See, I told you they weren't in trouble," Temari sighed, raising her fan to whack Naruto with. That is, until she took another look at Neji.

"It's not my fault! I heard yelling!" Naruto protested. He then followed Temari's gaze. "Damn, Neji," he muttered. "No wonder you're so fast; you've got three legs!"

Neji's face turned bright red, and he might have done something, if he hadn't felt like Temari was raping him with her eyes. "Aren't you supposed to hate me?" he snapped.

Temari waved a hand absently. "I still hate you. Only now I think I hate Tenten more..."

"I know the feeling," Sakura sighed wistfully.

Tenten's head and arms emerged from under the sheets, and she was clutching a bomb as big as her head. In a completely calm tone, she said, "Everybody. Out. NOW."

The room cleared within three seconds.

Neji made his way back to the bed, grumbling quietly as he slipped in beside her.

"Well," Tenten said slowly, "I think we can safely assume that I'm pregnant."

"How can you tell?" Neji asked, still a little angry.

"Well, Lee's weird radar aside, what are the chances that all this would've happened on a miss? And besides, I never miss."

"I have," Neji admitted reluctantly.

"But I took the lead." She grinned at him. "Although, since you're clearly still up for it..."

He stared at her in mild disbelief. "After all that, you still want to?"

"Naturally. Now come here before someone else pays us a visit."

**End of Part 7.**

* * *

Endnotes:

I know, I know: ew, incest! To be frank, I suspect many clans, and the Hyuuga Clan in particular, practice strict inbreeding. After all, you never see a Byakugan user outside of the clan, so it makes sense to assume that Hyuuga generally don't marry outside of their clan. If that's true, it makes even more sense to have two branches, because I suspect they only consider themselves related in the loosest sense of the word (comes from being branded and enslaved, I guess) by the time a person from each is of marrying age. Hinata is a notable exception, and so is Neji to an extent (he did warn Hinata before he beat her up). Without Naruto being involved, it's very likely that Hinata not only would've ended up in the branch family, but may very well have become Neji's unwilling wife. They can say what they want about Neji's genes, but his talent speaks for itself, and they would definitely want that passed on to the next generation of Hyuuga.

Shino's mimicry of the Hands of Hakke is "almost perfect" because he doesn't have the Byakugan to guide the hits. Although he could make educated guesses, it would probably be more effective as a way of blocking hits from an attacker using the Hands of Hakke.

That last scene, I included largely because HSA won't have any Omake bits. At the same time, it's hard not to throw in humor when Lee hits the room, and the setup was so terribly easy.

I know I've only hinted at it in passing, but Lee and Sakura are together here. Why? Simply because I think Sakura would be better off with someone who can be completely honest about their feelings for her, and Lee always has been. As for Sakura, there is definitely something there when she thinks of Lee, even if it's only friendship (and even that would be more solid than anything she had with you-know-who). I wouldn't bother flaming if you don't care for the couple; it wouldn't change anything about the story (I've got it all planned out), and it would probably just make you look a bit silly to the real reviewers. I can respect if you prefer to see them with other people, but not if you're going to be rude about it.


	8. The Art of Inheritance

Notes: As with the last chapter of "White Dog Night," this one skips ahead a few years, and is an epilogue of sorts.

**Hyuuga Secret Arts**

**Part 8: The Art of Inheritance**

**A Naruto Ficlet by**

**Nate Grey (XMAN0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

_From the Desk of Hyuuga Irihi_

I am my father's child. That's the polite way of saying that if my father had been a girl, he would have been me. Or so my mother claims, anyway.

I choose to take it as a compliment. Papa is one of the most respected shinobi in Konoha. He hasn't left the village for anything but S-ranked missions in the last thirteen years... which, not so incidentally, is how old I am. And you'd be surprised, how few shinobi are willing to put their careers on hold to be a good father.

But you have to understand, I'm an adult now. A chuunin, even (okay, so it's only been a week since I got promoted, but still). So I flat out told him the one thing a father never wants to hear from his little girl, no matter how old she gets.

"You know, a little time apart wouldn't kill us."

He took it bad. Which is to say he told my mother on me, the big jerk. Little did he know I'd had the foresight to get her on my side first. Ironically, I got my brains from him, and my stubborn as an ox routine from her. It worked out pretty nicely, I think. She bullied him into the first mission that popped up, and it's been just us women for the last few days: me, my mother, all three of my aunts, and the twins (one is a boy, but he's so cute I hardly think it counts).

You wouldn't think it, but all those people represent the better part of two powerful clans in Konoha. It's a very odd story that I still don't quite understand, but I think I could sum it up.

Basically, my middle aunt, Hinata, ran away from home after she failed the chuunin exams (she had good reason, though). That meant that her little sister (my youngest aunt), Hanabi, was going to take over the Hyuuga Clan instead, which really pissed her off, since she seems to hate that job (despite how good at it she is). Anyway, my oldest aunt (who somehow manages to look and act the youngest), Temari, found Hinata and took her to Suna, where Hanabi and my father confronted them. Here the details get fuzzy, but I assume Hanabi kicked Hinata's butt and made her come home... only she wouldn't let Hinata rejoin our clan. Which worked out great, since Hinata got to marry this really funny guy she'd had a crush on since they were kids, so they got married and started their own clan (that's how we got the twins), which is why Temari gets to live here full-time now, since she's an official unofficial member (not blood-related, but they wouldn't dare kick her out, as much as she babysits).

Weird, I know, but reunions are too much fun.

The Hyuuga Clan is pretty serious about everything, and that'll never change, no matter how many times I beg Hanabi.

The Uzumaki Clan... not so much. At all, really. But that's why they're so cool to hang out with. You can lay around in the yard all day with Akamaru, or practice jutsu that would normally get your kunai taken away for a month, and nobody gets in trouble. If you're lucky, they might even give you pointers! And since they live right outside of the village, it's not like they're really breaking any rules, either. You can get away with just about anything on Uzumaki land; there's a whole section devoted to them in the laws of Konoha (I think they started it when my uncle, Naruto, broke most of their regular laws).

Naruto is probably the greatest guy you'd ever want to be related to. He's all about family, even more so than my father, if you can believe it. Well, a better way to say it is he's more about family fun. He doesn't have concepts of how you act in public or anything like that; he'll wrestle with his kids in the middle of the street if the urge hits him, and no one would ever call him on it. He's a pretty big guy, and he's even stronger than he looks, so most people just pretend to look the other way.

My first memory of Naruto is when he "kidnapped" me for a day, in order to save me from the complete boredom that he was convinced I lived in. Now, my father can be strict, and I don't think I've ever seen him angrier than when he tore up the village looking for me, only to find out I'd been with Naruto and Hinata the whole time, eating cinnamon buns and practicing looking through people's clothes (in a village full of shinobi, it's nice to know who's packing concealed weapons). Papa looked like he wanted to rip Naruto's head off, but then Hinata offered him some fresh cinnamon buns in that soft voice of hers, and he actually blushed and muttered something about needing to get me home before my mother really started to worry. I never got kidnapped again, although I did run away a few times, and even then it was my mother who came to get me, because my father turns into a complete wimp around Hinata.

I can see why Hinata didn't last long in our clan. She can be serious, but ultimately, she'd rather be playing with her kids, or baking, or working on her garden, or going for walks with Akamaru. It's hard to imagine how someone so quiet and gentle ever became a jounin, especially after all the setbacks, but I know she's strong. I can see it in her smile when she refuses to spar with her children. I can see it in her eyes when she feels her family is being threatened. Most of all, I can see it in Akamaru, who seems to get angry for Hinata so she doesn't have to. Normally, he's the nicest dog in the world despite his gigantic size, but he won't hesitate to bare his fangs if one of the twins even thinks about shedding tears. They got teased exactly once, and the kids who did it ran home screaming with Akamaru barking at them. There were complaints from concerned parents, but Naruto only shrugged and said, "They got off lucky with Akamaru; I'd have bitten them."

Don't get me wrong, the Hyuuga Clan is great, too, just in a different way. You know, the 'respect-us-or-die' kind of way. They're nowhere near as laid back, but as a result, everyone tends to stay out of their way. This is largely because Hanabi inherited her father's inability to understand the concept of humor. In short, she can't take (or make) a joke. Which is odd, since everybody knows she's got a thing going with her teammate, Konohamaru, who is nothing but a walking, talking joke with messy hair (he makes it look good, though).

I don't spend all that much time with Hanabi anymore, and it's not that I don't like her. She's one of those women that would be gorgeous if she bothered to smile regularly, so is instead sort of uncomfortably pretty. It's just that I know she's always busy, and I try my best to stay out of her way. She treats me like I'm twice my age, which is fun for about ten minutes, but then I start wishing she'd do just the opposite and give me some candy. The weird thing is, I know she loves me, but I could just barely give you any proof that would stand in front of a council.

That's the funny thing about love. It can be there, hiding, and you'll know it's there. And yet, when you feel like you're at your lowest, you can forget something you've taken for granted for years, because you're feeling sorry for yourself.

That's how it was for me, the day I nearly took my cousin's life.

* * *

The day started off like any other.

After breakfast, I helped Mama polish her weapons (I should say SOME of them, since I know she gained at least a dozen for every year I've been around), and then I went outside to practice with my Byakugan. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I've never been any good at it. Well, that's wrong. I've never wanted to be all that good at it. It just feels, I don't know, like cheating. And honestly, I feel a whole lot better when I can kick someone's butt without relying on my all-seeing eyes. I can use them when I have to, like if I'm in a tight spot, or if someone from the clan is watching, but I'm much happier just pounding people into submission (I keep my forearms and hands wrapped to help absorb the impact on my end).

The upside to this is that whether you use the Byakugan or not, Gentle Fist demands speed, which I have in abundance. What I don't have is the patience to look for chakra coils, so I usually end up using my speed to hammer my enemies from all directions at once. It's not a perfect strategy, but after I got some serious endurance, strength, and speed training from my father's friend Lee, the people started dropping a lot faster, and the ones that could still think through the pain knew better than to get up. Yeah, I could always drop them with one hit to a vital spot, but that's just no fun (plus it seems even more like cheating than searching out their weak spots).

Needless to say, I got tired of staring at things very quickly, and decided to go for a run through the village to get my blood pumping. So with a yell to my mother that I'd be back soon, I was off to get some real training in. Of course, the streets can get pretty crowded, so it just makes more sense to run (and jump) along the roofs. Though, with this being a ninja village and all, there's even traffic up there at times.

I was passing through (okay, over, technically) the shopping district when I spotted a familiar head of blond hair in four, spiked pigtails. And since the chances of two people with that hairstyle being in the same village were astronomically low (excluding clones and whatnot), I knew I had come across my favorite aunt. And since she was my favorite aunt, I wanted to greet her properly... by getting the drop on her. Now, this was much harder than it sounds: she's a jounin, has been one for some time, and what's more, she's a Sand-nin, and I have to say most of them are known for being needlessly brutal. But, since she'd never raised a hand to me outside of when I deserved it, I figured a swat or two was worth a good laugh.

To my credit, I got within a yard of her before I tripped on a kunai, which was wrapped in an exploding tag, which in turn blew me off of the roof, where I fell neatly into my aunt's waiting arms.

"That was really sloppy, Iri," she informed me with a smirk. "I heard you snickering, and you probably shouldn't squawk when you're dodging, even if there is an explosion." To be honest, I think she purposely avoided mentioning the fact that I tripped in order to save me a little dignity.

"I'll get you next time, oba-san," I promised her.

To this, she just smiled indulgently before putting me down. "I was just on my way home. If you come along and babysit the brats for me, I won't tell your mom about that sad little display I just saw."

This wasn't really a threat, since 1) the three people the twins liked best were me, Temari, and Akamaru, in that order, and 2) Mama would yell at me for attacking a relative before she'd yell at me for failing to attack one. But I decided to go along anyway, since Hinata had developed a habit of paying in cinnamon buns.

Now, the twins were old enough that they didn't really need supervision, but young enough where it was smart to keep an eye on them, anyway. Case in point: when we walked up to the Uzumaki compound, part of the front gate exploded from a stray chakra grenade. We'd had the extraordinary luck of catching the twins in the midst of a heated sparring session. They weren't even genin yet, but they could make several of my fellow chuunin sweat, if they really had to.

Enten was the one causing all the property damage, as usual. His arms were spinning like out of control windmills, launching bright blue, half-formed balls of chakra at his sister. His control wasn't that great yet, though, and a good number of them exploded the instant they left his fingertips. But the little guy either didn't notice or didn't care, because he didn't slow down one bit.

Tsuki was on the other side of the yard, zipping back and forth between her brother's projectiles. Most of them she danced around with ease, but the ones she couldn't were deflected with the help of hastily-erected, pale blue chakra shields about the size of a melon.

It took them a few minutes to realize that neither one was winning, and once they did, they charged blindly at each other, screaming their little heads off. Enten came in high with a powerful swipe that would've knocked Tsuki flat on her back, had it connected. Problem was, she was faster, and could read her brother like a book, so she came in low, slipping beneath his guard rather easily. And before Enten could stop her, she planted a noisy kiss directly on his nose.

Being a seven year old boy, Enten's reaction was pretty much standard for his age group.

"AAAAAARRRRRGGGGH!"

Tsuki just giggled merrily as Enten dropped to the ground, clutching at his face and kicking his legs wildly, howling about "girl germs" or something to that effect.

They really do look like and act a great deal like miniature versions of their parents, except Tsuki is more spirited and loud like Naruto, while Enten, like Hinata, doesn't say much unless he thinks it's important. You wouldn't even know they were brother and sister, if it weren't for the way they treated each other. Whenever Enten gets in trouble, Tsuki talks him out of being seriously punished... or she just talks until you start to wonder who exactly is being punished.

Any other babysitter probably would've cleaned the twins off and given them a lecture on getting along with each other. Temari just whistled.

A whistle is a powerful thing in the Uzumaki compound, because that's all it takes to bring Akamaru running. He must've been pretty close, because Temari had barely finished whistling when he came tearing around the main house, only slowing down enough so the twins could latch onto his neck as he brought them over to us.

Instantly, there was a delighted cry of "Iri nee-chan!" as I found my arms full of Tsuki, while Enten tackled my legs. I managed to stay on my feet only because I'd had plenty of experience with twin-tackling. And even when I finally pried them off, the only thing I got for my troubles was a very wet lick from Akamaru.

"Come spar with us, Iri nee-chan!" Tsuki begged, tugging on my arm. Enten was apparently above begging, but I could tell he wanted me to join in, too.

I looked to Temari for her approval, and she nodded. "Go ahead, Iri," she said while rubbing Akamaru's neck fondly. "If you can wear them out so they're too tired to cause trouble, I'll make sure there's an extra cinnamon bun in it for you."

"Yay!" Tsuki cheered, bouncing up and down, while Enten just grinned.

"Okay, who's first?" I asked as they dragged me further into the yard.

Tsuki volunteered her brother at once. "Show him how tough girls are!"

Enten never did think much about girls, until he lost to me. From then on, he was determined to beat me, but he never actually had. I was faster and stronger, and while Enten would be a threat if he had better chakra control, right now he was just a somewhat tame loose cannon. He might be able to sneak in a few hits, but he wasn't going to even come close to winning, not unless I let him (not that I would, as it would defeat the whole purpose of sparring). It's never actually been my goal to seriously hurt him, though. I might be a little rougher than necessary if he got cocky or started talking trash, but just to keep him in line.

We started off the way we always do: Enten doing his best to hit me, and failing, for the most part. Since Tsuki had inherited pretty much all of the Hyuuga talent from Hinata, that left her brother with Naruto's gifts, which were considerable, but much more difficult to use properly. Both of them had larger than normal chakra reserves, especially for their age, and because he knew that, Enten had formed a habit of never holding back out of fear of chakra exhaustion. He was somewhat tired from all the chakra he'd used in the spar with Tsuki, but he'd never admit that. I figured I wouldn't embarrass him unless he asked for it.

Problem was, we had opposing ideas on what was embarrassing, and when Enten finally realized I had yet to throw a single punch, he got mad.

"Stop going easy on me, Iri!" he growled, his face red. "Everybody's looking!"

It didn't matter that anyone watching would've agreed with my way of thinking, not his. The little guy had his pride, and I didn't really want to damage it if I didn't have to. I also didn't want to damage his body with anything too advanced. I ended up deciding on my old family standby, the Empty Hand of Hakke. That way I didn't run the risk of breaking any bones accidentally, and constantly getting shoved would most likely provoke Enten into making a mistake I could exploit without really hurting him (and as an added bonus, I wouldn't have to rely on my Byakugan).

But I'm proud to say I underestimated the little guy. A few minutes of getting shoved around, and he suddenly got the idea to jump over my attack. That, I never expected, since it was something Tsuki was more likely to try. She liked to move around a lot, but Enten was always more stationary in his fighting.

Anyway, he surprised me, and I didn't have much time to react before his momentum would slam our skulls together, so I blocked him, though with more force than I realized. I managed to brace myself with my arms crossed to protect my face, and used them to push off against Enten's chest. As I said, I fight with my arms all the time, and maybe because Enten had managed to throw me off my game, I responded in a way that I never would've chosen to consciously.

When visible, chakra comes in a wide variety of colors. But it's almost never a good thing when it's a really dark color. Black is probably the worst you could ever come across, but I'm a little biased.

At first, I thought Enten had done a jutsu that somehow got tar onto my fingers. But then I realized that he wasn't sticking to me, and that the black stuff on my fingers was actually MOVING. Towards him.

I'm not sure what happened after that. For all I know, I could've been looking right at Enten the whole time, and my brain just refuses to let me recall that particular memory.

I do know that by the time Enten hit the ground, what seemed like most of his blood was either on my hands, or coating his chest.

I remember I couldn't breathe. I could only watch him lying there, trying not to move in case that made it worse. And when our eyes met, I expected him to be confused, or angry, or afraid.

But he wasn't any of those things. Instead, he took a deep breath, slowly raised a shaky hand, and said three words.

"Help me, Iri..."

He still trusted me, even then. And that's what finally broke me.

I ran, harder and faster than I ever have in my life. I could feel something on my hands as I moved, and I knew that it wasn't just blood. My only thought was that I had to get away, before I hurt someone else. But I kept seeing Enten lying there, drenched in blood as he whispered my name, and not even closing my eyes helped, although it did result in me getting good and lost.

As it turned out, someone actually was calling my name, and I knew the voice well. But I was still very much freaked out at that point, and I mistakenly assumed that Temari would be angry with me. That, and I didn't want to hurt her. I kept running, because I knew on a good day, I could outrun just about anyone without my leg weights. Unfortunately, if I stopped to take them off, Temari would catch me for sure.

Problem was, I was only faster than Temari. I wasn't smarter. I'm only fast on land. In the air, trapped by chakra-enfused winds, I pretty much stand still, which was the idea in the first place.

With Temari closing in, I did the only thing I could do.

I begged. I begged her not to come any closer, told her I loved her and I didn't want to kill her, too. I even begged her to kill me so I wouldn't have to see the look on Hinata's face when she found out what I'd done to her little boy. She'd never be able to call the twins her "little sun and moon" again, and it would be all my fault.

Temari didn't listen, thankfully. She only said, "Show me your hands," in that no nonsense tone of hers, so I did. They were still covered in blood, and I could see something moving beneath the blood, but I was too scared to scream. And when Temari started forming hand seals, I just knew she was going to cut off my hands. Instead, she reached out and slipped her larger hands over my own. Whatever she did, my hands pulsed, and then they didn't feel weird anymore, but that didn't help much, since I still had Enten's blood on them, and now so did Temari.

I was even more surprised when Temari pulled me into a rough, warm hug. "Don't you ever run away from me when you're in trouble, unless I tell you to. You know that's dangerous, Iri," she said into my ear.

In my panic, I'd forgotten that particular lesson, but I knew it well. Naruto had told us the story nearly every other week for several years now. Hinata's junior teammates, Tatsuo and Tomoko, had gotten separated from their team on a mission. Tatsuo had wanted to stay together and watch each other's backs, but Tomoko insisted that regrouping with the others was more important. They ended up surrounded by enemies, and Tomoko ran to get help. The next time Tatsuo saw her, she was dead. In his anguish, he'd used a forbidden jutsu to destroy himself and the remaining enemies. Because of him, the rest of the team survived, and most of them believe to this day that if Tatsuo and Tomoko had fought together, they'd still be alive to tell the story themselves.

The twins had taken the story to heart, because one never went anywhere without the other. Enten wasn't crazy about holding Tsuki's hand all the time, but as far as he was concerned, being born five minutes earlier made him the big brother, and he took that very seriously. I, on the other hand, being a single child and an heiress, had been brought up to rely on my own power, and since I could no longer trust it, I didn't know what my body might do next.

Temari didn't seem too worried, although maybe she was just doing that for my benefit. She carried me on her back, and told me about the time Naruto had sneezed on an important treaty just as Gaara was signing it. The image of Naruto being chased out of the Kazekage's office by an army of enraged sand clones was pretty funny, but I couldn't help noticing that we didn't go back to the Uzumaki compound. Instead, Temari walked right past it, and took me into the village. I had a pretty good idea of where we were going, but my heart still sank when she actually set foot inside the Hyuuga compound. I had never done anything this bad before, and I could already imagine the look on my father's face when he finally heard the news. I hated to see disappointment in Papa's eyes, because that was even worse than him being angry at me.

But I was surprised yet again, because Temari didn't take me home. She took me to the meeting hall, which was reserved for discussions with really important people, like other clan heads and the Hokage. And before I could ask why, Temari had barged into what had to be an important meeting, since all the Hyuuga elders were there, with Hanabi sitting at the head of the table. Normally, she might have demanded to know what we were doing, but the instant she saw blood on my hands, she stood up and quickly excused herself.

"What happened?" Hanabi asked the moment we were locked away in her study.

"'It' happened," Temari replied simply as she let me down, and I was shocked to see that Hanabi accepted that answer at once.

"Was anyone injured?"

I very nearly blurted out that no one was injured, but that Enten was very dead by now, and that it was all my fault. But Temari shot me one her patented 'shut up or taste the back of my fan' glares and answered for me.

"Enten. I don't know his condition, but Akamaru was nearby when it happened." I'd forgotten that, actually. At the very least, Akamaru would've barked to bring Hinata running. And if Tsuki wasn't too traumatized by the sight of her brother bleeding all over the place, it was also possible that she might have recalled a few minor healing jutsu.

There was a distinct pause, and though I had never, ever seen Hanabi do more than talk to Hinata's children in a slightly detached sort of way, she swallowed the gasp that rose to her lips almost expertly. I never questioned whether or not she loved the twins again.

Immediately afterward, things... got a little weird. Hanabi pulled a large bowl from a shelf, and a few hand seals later, there was a rapidly melting chunk of ice in the bowl. Then she personally washed my hands. Mind you, this was only weird because she didn't have someone else do it, but I couldn't complain, since my hands finally got clean. And now that I think back on it, maybe that was Hanabi's way of saying she forgave and still trusted me.

Then, to my horror, Hanabi asked Temari to go get my mother. There was nothing I could say; it had to be done eventually. All Temari could offer in the way of comfort was a gentle squeeze of my shoulder as she left the study.

Once we were alone, I expected to be in enormous trouble. After all, people were rarely brought before the clan head to be rewarded. Well, I never had been; in most of my good experiences involving Hanabi, I had gone to her out of choice. On the other hand, before that day I had never done anything so terrible that punishment had to come from the clan head, so if I was going to be punished by Hanabi, then I truly deserved it.

But she didn't punish me. No one was going to, either, but I wouldn't figure that out until after Naruto and Papa got home a couple of days later.

"Do you know why you are here, Irihi?" Hanabi asked me in a surprisingly calm tone.

"To receive my punishment, oba-sama," I told her, lowering my head.

"No." She reached out and took my hands in hers, her grip tightening when I tried to pull them away. "I am not going to punish you for what happened today. I will tell you why that is, and why you must not be afraid anymore."

"But... oba-sama, please... don't hold my hands... not now!" I pleaded.

"Very well." She released my hands, but the moment I yanked them back, I got another surprise. "Come and sit in my lap, Irihi."

I stared at her in disbelief as she sat down on the floor and looked at me expectantly. Hanabi had never invited me to do such a thing. She wouldn't have stopped me if I'd done it on my own, but that was completely different, as far as I was concerned.

"Aren't you worried I might hurt you?"

Hanabi frowned at me. "I realize this day has been difficult for you, Irihi. So I will overlook the implication that you, even if you had all your wits about you, could possibly hope to harm me."

No matter how many times I replay that line in my head, and even though I know it was meant to make me feel better, it always makes me feel about two inches tall instead. So, feeling pretty silly, I gave in and sat in Hanabi's lap. And wouldn't you know it, as soon as I got comfortable, she reached around me and grasped my hands again.

"There is a very good reason why I do not fear you, and my being stronger and more experienced is only part of it," Hanabi said softly in my ear. "Something very similar happened to me years ago, at the peak of my ANBU career. And the results were far worse."

I could hardly believe it. It was hard enough to believe that there was something... living under my skin, and that it could hurt people against my wishes, but now Hanabi had the same thing, and had lost control of hers, too?

Over the next hour or so, Hanabi told me many things. Private things, things she had only told my father, and things she had never told anyone. Above all, she stressed two things.

First, that what had happened that day was not my fault (technically, it was my father's, in a strictly genetic sense). I had simply inherited a super-rare ability of the Hyuuga bloodline, just as Hanabi had. And like her, the ability had manifested while sparring with a relative.

Second, that this ability was not to be feared, but to be respected and used properly, just as the Byakugan was (it wasn't a great example in my case, but I got the gist of it). Even when the ability had been fully sealed, I would have to retrain my body to contain its power as I moved around, or else risk the seal failing over time. The only good thing that I could see in all this was that Hanabi was really the only person qualified to oversee my training.

I had never received any sort of training from her, but I expected it wouldn't be enjoyable at all. The Hyuuga way simply took the fun out of everything, a lesson I learned at age eight, when I realized that Papa's strange willingness to play pattycake over the years had only been a method of teaching me Gentle Fist strikes. The really sad part is that if I'd had any friends other than Shinju at the time, they wouldn't have stayed around long after I'd flattened them while playing. How was I supposed to know that normal kids didn't play games that required chakra control?

Just when I was starting to wonder what was taking my mother so long, there was a knock on the door. Hanabi motioned for me to open the door, and I was relieved to see that Mama was more worried about me than anything I'd done. But the relief didn't last long, because as she pulled me into a tight hug, I glanced down the hallway just as Hinata stepped into view at the other end.

With strength I didn't know I had, I dragged my mother into the study, slammed the door shut, and locked it. Had Mama not stopped me, I might have thrown a chest or two in front the door for good measure.

"Irihi, stop that! What do you think you're doing?" she asked, grabbing my hands.

"I can't face her yet, Mama!" I cried, burying my face in her shoulder. "She'll hate me, and Enten... he's not-"

"Enten," my mother interrupted calmly, "is with her, and he's been asking to see you since Hinata healed him. Neither of them hates you. Haven't you already been told that you had no control over what happened? No one blames you."

I didn't want to look at Hanabi, because I was in no mood to deal with a smug smirk at the time. Instead, I focused on what my mother had told me. "Enten... he's okay? But there was so much blood, and-"

"If you don't believe me, you can see for yourself momentarily."

I hadn't noticed that Hanabi was moving while we talked, and by the time I did, she was already opening the door. I wanted to run, or at least hide somewhere, but my mother was holding me firmly in place to prevent both. I could only stand there and face what I had done.

Despite what my mother had told me, I expected Enten to be limping, or at least look horribly pale, something like that. So I was more than a little surprised when he ran right past Hanabi (without even paying her the proper, or any respect, for that matter) and threw his arms around my waist, looking as if he hadn't been struck down just a few hours ago.

"Nobody would tell me where you were, or if you were in trouble," he muttered, squeezing me tightly. "I was scared when Temari oba-san came back alone. Why didn't you come back, Iri?" He raised his head and looked at me, his blue eyes pleading with me for an answer.

I didn't know what to say. I couldn't understand how he was standing there in one piece, why he wasn't angry at me, or how he could still use that shortened version of my name that only close family could or would. Didn't he know what I could've done to him? What I had done to him?

Why did he almost seem happy to see me?

Enten finally guessed why I wasn't able to answer him, so he let me go and pulled up his shirt. "Look, Iri! I'm fine, see?"

He wasn't fine. There was a huge, dark brown, X-shaped scar crossing his belly, but it looked perfectly smooth and almost faded, as if he'd had it for years. And from the look on Enten's face, he was actually proud of the mark.

"Mama says she might let me keep it. It's even better than a tattoo!"

I was still trying to wrap my mind around the scar being a good thing when Enten grabbed my hand and pressed it against his scar, as if trying to show me that he really was perfectly healthy.

My hand didn't tell me anything my eyes already hadn't, but I didn't pull away, mostly because I didn't want to risk any sudden movements triggering my ability again. I was still a little wary of my hands touching anyone, though, but tried not to show it as I gently traced Enten's scar with my fingers. For his part, he just tried not to wriggle when I passed an especially ticklish area. When I felt we'd both had enough, I slowly let my hand fall back to my side as Enten pulled his shirt back down.

"So... you'll still come and train with us, right?" he asked suddenly, giving me the same puppy dog look that Naruto gave me whenever he wanted my cinnamon buns. And while it didn't work in those cases because Naruto was too old to be adorable, with Enten it was totally different. I had changed his diapers, gotten him to take his first steps toward me, even taught him how to sense when someone was spying on him with the Byakugan (that was all Tsuki's fault; when Hinata stopped bathing them together, Tsuki wanted to know what she was missing out on). As much as I loved Tsuki, Enten would always be closer to my heart, if only because it felt more natural to think of him as my little brother.

"I... don't think that would be a good idea," I muttered, avoiding his eyes.

"No!"

My head snapped up at Tsuki's shrill cry. She had been hanging back near the door, clutching Hinata's hand the whole time. But suddenly she was flinging herself at me just as Enten had, clinging tightly to my waist.

"You can't stop visiting us, Iri nee-chan!" Tsuki wailed, tears spilling down her face. "We need you!"

I sighed and ruffled her dark hair fondly, the way I always had, before I realized what I was doing, and by then it was too late to stop. "Come on, don't cry. It'll only be for a while, until I get things under control."

Unfortunately, Tsuki wasn't looking for excuses, she was looking for me to say that I'd keep coming by. And since I didn't, well...

"We know it was an accident, and we still love you! We really do..." She trailed off, burying her face in my chest.

"We know you'd never hurt us," Enten said quietly, looking directly into my eyes. Everything about his expression in that moment told me that while he would always remember this day, he would never mention it to me. And that was what I needed from him. Not forgiveness, because to him I hadn't done anything wrong. Not acceptance, because I was only one that seemed to accept that I had hurt him. We were just going to move on, and behave the way we always had, almost as if this day had never happened.

"But... why aren't you afraid?" I asked them.

Enten stared at me as if I were crazy. "We could never be scared of you, Iri."

"What about...?" I stopped there, because I still didn't know quite what to call the ability. Hanabi hadn't really given it a name, though I assumed there was some sort of title she'd reveal to me later.

"We're not scared of that, either. Tsuki, um, saw the whole thing."

My heart skipped a beat, and I looked down to see Tsuki staring right back at me. That was another thing I'd been afraid of, but she didn't look traumatized, at least not by what she'd seen earlier. Which really begged the question of what would traumatize her, because very few people can watch their brother get sliced open and stay levelheaded.

"You shouldn't be scared of it, Iri nee-chan," she said softly. "It knew you were fighting, and it wanted to be useful. It was trying to help you."

I could only stare at her. Either she was just trying to make me feel better, or she really had seen all of that with her Byakugan. And since she was the only Byakugan user that actually saw the incident, I had to take her word for it. But I don't mind saying that it was a little creepy, having someone else know my own body better than I did. On the other hand, since I barely knew what it was up to just then, I'm glad someone close to me did.

"Tsuki. Enten. That's enough," Hinata said quietly but firmly. "Your cousin obviously has a great deal on her mind. I think what she needs right now is not to feel crowded."

I'd never seen the twins outright defy Hinata, especially when she could still see them, but Enten looked as if he were seriously considering ignoring her command. But either out of concern for me or desire to obey his mother, he backed off, tugging lightly on Tsuki's arm until she let go of me and moved away as well.

"Now, since both of you failed to show your aunt the proper respect when you came in," Hinata continued, and here the twins hung their heads almost simultaneously, "you can apologize and explain to her what got you so upset that you forgot your manners."

I swear I'll never understand how Hinata keeps those two in line, when punishment is just saying why you're sorry. But then I doubted she was in the mood to seriously punish her children, since she'd nearly lost one.

"And while you're doing that, I'll be going for a little walk." Hinata turned to leave the study. She had just cleared the door when she added softly, "Why don't you join me, Irihi?"

In all the time I've known her, I can't ever recall Hinata punishing me. Either I never gave her enough reason to, or she, like most people who knew my father, figured I got punished enough at home. Which wasn't exactly true, although that's mostly because people with one or more strict parents tend to live under constant unbending rules, so to them being punished is along the lines of bodily harm or worse. In other words, I knew Hinata wasn't going to hit me, but sometimes even soft words could hurt so much more than any strike.

I understood that Hinata wasn't really asking so much as she was telling me to come with her, and I liked going for walks with her under normal circumstances, so maybe she actually did want to help me relax. But it was more likely she just didn't want anyone else to hear what she was undoubtedly going to say to me. The sad part is that I would've preferred to be hit, because though that would've been totally out of character for Hinata, I still felt like I deserved some kind of punishment for what I'd done, even though it was an accident.

My mother gave me an encouraging smile as I followed Hinata out of the study, but the moment the door was closed behind us, I wondered how far I could get if I made a break for it. With any luck, Hinata hadn't brought Akamaru with her, and I could actually get away this time without being caught for an hour or so, at least. But I couldn't really go anywhere, either. All the good hiding spots I knew were on Uzumaki land, and anyone I went to for help would just take me back to my mother.

"You can relax, Irihi," Hinata said as we moved down the hallway. "In case you haven't figured it out yet, no one is going to punish you. In my opinion, not knowing whether Enten was dead or alive was punishment enough for you. I honestly don't think you could intentionally harm Enten or Tsuki; I believe your body would just shut down at the very idea. It's clear that they feel the same way."

"But they shouldn't!" I protested. "I DID hurt Enten, and even though I didn't mean to, it still happened! He SHOULD be afraid of me!"

Hinata slowly shook her head. "Do you know what Enten told me, when I asked him what happened?"

"The truth?"

"Not quite. He told me that he jumped you while your back was turned. And even though he was clearly lying, Tsuki instantly agreed with him, and they refused to change their stories until they knew for sure that you weren't in trouble."

"They did that?" I whispered. "Why?"

"Because they love you, so much that they would rather lie to me than suggest that any of this was your fault. And again, it wasn't, but they could tell that it looked very bad. But I can't bring myself to punish them for lying to save you. We all know it was wrong, but I might have done the same thing myself, and I know Naruto would have."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was everyone going to cover for me, just like that? "But... I almost killed him!"

"It looked far worse than it actually was, trust me," Hinata replied calmly. "But you're missing my point. For the Uzumaki Clan, there is no such thing as going too far to protect a precious person. Do you have any idea how many times I've looked at you, and mistaken you for my own child, even before the twins came along? Don't you know that the twins have complete faith in you because Naruto and I do as well? You are so much more than just a member of our family, Irihi. Remember that the next time you decide to run from us, and don't be surprised if one of us comes after you. We are not in the habit of losing people we care about."

"You're really not mad at me, oba-san?" I asked softly. "You don't... hate me?"

"Hate you?" Hinata asked in surprise as she turned to look at me. "Oh, Irihi, is that what you've been so afraid of? That I would be angry with you?"

"How can you not be?" I demanded. "Enten is your son, and-"

"And," she interrupted, "if it were not for you, I wouldn't even have children."

"You... what?" I asked blankly. "What does that mean?"

Hinata knelt down and drew me into her arms. "The very first time I held you, I knew my life wouldn't be complete until I had children of my own. But I was also very afraid, because there were so many things that could have gone wrong, and I didn't know if Naruto and I were truly ready to be parents. And yet, whenever I watched him play with you, I tried to convince myself that if I never had children, it would be enough that we got to see you grow up. The more I watched you, the more I knew that I was wrong. There were times when I cried after you went home at night, because I didn't want to go to bed in a house with no children in it. Then one day, you asked me why I didn't have a baby, and I had no answer. You told me I would make a great mother for a baby, because I was already one to you. You couldn't have been more than five or six at the time, but somehow hearing it from a child made all the difference. So I have you to thank for my children, Irihi. You gave me my little sun and moon, and I've never received a greater gift. I could never hate you, my dear child. I love you far too much for that."

Maybe it was the hug that did it. Maybe it was the revelation that Hinata credited me with providing her with her children. Most probably it was the fact that she still thought of me as her own child, even then. Whatever it was, I bawled like a baby myself, and I wasn't ashamed. There was no point to it. Virtually everywhere I looked, I could find someone that loved me, and that felt better than any victory ever had.

My training under Hanabi was to start the following day, and I was exhausted from crying and worrying, so I figured I'd have no problem going to sleep. I hadn't counted on the twins begging my mother to let me sleep over, or that Hinata would throw in dinner to sweeten the deal. So I ended up sleeping in Hinata and Naruto's extra huge bed that night. I know what you're thinking, but apparently it's only so big so the twins can fit easily, as well.

I got almost no sleep that night, even though it was very comfortable. I kept sneaking looks at the twins as they slept on either side of me, wondering if they would always trust in me so blindly, and if I really deserved that kind of devotion. I wondered if this was how Naruto felt, when he first realized there was something living inside of him. Most of all, I wondered if Hanabi was sleeping alone that night, if she was more worried about me than she let on, and if I should have asked to stay with her instead.

When I was seven, Hanabi had to leave on a mission for a few weeks. I remember running after her as she left the Hyuuga compound, begging her not to go because I would miss her too much. She only smiled and knelt down to hug me.

"You are the child of my heart, Irihi," she said in my ear. "You are with me always."

I didn't know what she meant back then. I couldn't understand why she had no children, why she never got married to Konohamaru. I only had a bad feeling that I wouldn't like the answers.

It was my father who finally told me the truth, when he returned to find that I was well on my way to containing my new ability. He took me up to the Hokage Monument that same night, and made me swear that I would never tell anyone without Hanabi's permission.

Everyone had said it wasn't my fault. And maybe they were right. But I was amazed to find out what actually was my fault (that's how I see it, at least).

I was the reason Hanabi couldn't have children. Indirectly, at least. She was protecting my title, her gift to my father, at the cost of never starting her own family. And, though she would never admit it, she was also trying to reduce the risk of another Hyuuga being born with the ability so soon. But despite all the suffering my very existence put her through, she still loved me as if I were her own. Hanabi loved me in a way that was entirely different from the way Hinata did, and yet each had a certain intensity about it. With Hinata I could see and feel the love in every smile, every touch, almost every movement. With Hanabi I had to search harder, as if she were hiding it from me. And maybe because I had to put forth more effort with Hanabi, I appreciated her love more.

Hinata could forgive anything I had done because her heart was full of love, and as a mother, she understood that her children would make mistakes.

Hanabi would forgive anything I had done, not necessarily because she wanted to, but because I was her only child, and she understood that if we turned away from each other, her sacrifices would have been for nothing.

These days, no one discusses what happened to Enten. But we all learned from it. Enten keeps his guard up when we spar, I only block with one arm unless both are absolutely necessary, and either Hinata or Naruto watches us. It's not that they don't trust me, but I'm only getting stronger, so it never hurts to be prepared.

Enten still has that scar on his belly, and I still have the star-shaped marks on my hands where Temari first sealed my bloodline ability, as well as a more elaborate seal on my back that Hanabi had to apply a few days later. So far, I haven't had any other "leaks," and hopefully, there won't be any others. I can trust my hands again, as well as the power inside them, but I will admit to saving it only as a last resort that I have yet to use.

Some things just don't need to be seen a second time, after all.

**End of Part 8.**

* * *

Endnotes:

Most of the Hyuuga Clan have sun-related names, and I wanted to continue that tradition at least somewhat.

Irihi: evening/setting sun.

Enten: scorching sun.

Tsuki: moon. The phrase "kitsune-tsuki" also refers to being possessed by a fox.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Hyuuga Irihi, Uzumaki Enten, Uzumaki Tsuki, Tomoko, and Tatsuo belong to me.


End file.
